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POETEAIT  OF  TETEK  THE  GEEAT. 


HISTORY 


OF 


PETER   THE   GREAT, 


EMPEROR  OF  RUSSIA. 


BY    JACOB    ABBOTT. 


S5TO  Hnflrabftifls. 


NEW    YORK: 

HAEPEE    &    BEOTIIEES,    PUBLISHERS, 

FEAHKIIS    8  Q  T7  A  E  E. 

1873. 


Entered,  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  one  thousand  eight 
hundred  and  fifty-nine,  by 

HARPER    &    BROTHERS, 

In  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  Southern  District  of 
New  York. 


PREFACE. 


There  are  very  few  persons  who  have  not 
heard  of  the  fame  of  Peter  the  Great,  the  found- 
er, as  he  is  generally  regarded  by  mankind,  of 
Eussian  civilization.  The  celebrity,  however, 
of  the  great  Muscovite  sovereign  among  young 
persons  is  due  in  a  great  measure  to  the  cir- 
cumstance of  his  having  repaired  personally  to 
Holland,  in  the  course  of  his  efforts  to  introduce 
the  industrial  arts  among  his  people,  in  order 
to  study  himself  the  art  and  mystery  of  ship- 
building, and  of  his  having  worked  with  his 
own  hands  in  a  ship-yard  there.  The  little 
shop  where  Peter  pursued  these  practical  stud- 
ies still  stands  in  Saardam,  a  ship-building  town 
not  far  from  Amsterdam.  The  building  is  of 
wood,  and  is  now  much  decayed ;  but,  to  pre- 
serve it  from  farther  injury,  it  has  been  incased 
in  a  somewhat  larger  building  of  brick,  and  it 
is  visited  annually  by  great  numbers  of  curious 
travelers. 


viii  Preface. 

The  whole  history  of  Peter,  as  might  be  ex- 
pected from,  the  indications  of  character  devel- 
oped by  this  incident,  forms  a  narrative  that  is 
full  of  interest  and  instruction  for  all. 


CONTENTS. 


Chapter  Page 

I.  THE    PRINCESS    SOPHIA 13 

II.  THE    PRINCESS'S    DOWNFALL 32 

III.  THE   CHILDHOOD    AND    YOUTH   OF    PETER 58 

IV.  LE    FORT   AND    MENZIZOFF 67 

V.  COMMENCEMENT    OF   THE    REIGN 94- 

VI.  THE    EMPEROR'S    TOUR 112 

VII.  CONCLUSION    OF    THE    TOUR 139 

VIII.  THE    REBELLION 156 

IX.  REFORMS 173 

X.  THE    BATTLE    OF    NARVA 195 

XI.  THE    BUILDING    OF    ST.   PETERSBURG 205 

XII.  THE    REVOLT    OF    MAZEPPA 227 

XIII.  THE    BATTLE    OF    PULTOWA 237 

XIV.  THE    EMPRESS    CATHARINE 259 

XV.  THE    PRINCE    ALEXIS 280 

XVI.  THE    FLIGHT    OF    ALEXIS 303 

XVII.  THE    TRIAL 316 

XVIII.  THE    CONDEMNATION    AND    DEATH    OF  ALEXIS.  329 

XIX.  CONCLUSION 355 


ENGRAVINGS. 


Paga 

portrait  of  peter Frontispiece. 

THE    ESCAPE 44 

MENZIKOFF    SELLING    HIS    CAKES 88 

PETER    AMONG   THE    SHIPPING 127 

PETER    TURNING    EXECUTIONER 168 

MAP    OF    THE    RUSSIAN    AND    SWEDISH    FRONTIER 197 

STRATAGEMS    OF    THE    SWEDES 207 

SITUATION    OF    ST.   PETERSBURG 221 

FLIGHT    OF    THE    KING    OF    SWEDEN 251 

THE    EMPRESS    CATHARINE 272 

THB    CZAR'S   VISIT   TO  ALEXIS   IN   PRISON 349 


PETER  THE  GREAT. 


Chapter  I. 
The  Princess  Sophia. 


Parentage  of  Peter.  Hia  father's  double  marriage. 

THE  circumstances  under  which  Peter  the 
Great  came  to  the  throne  form  a  very  re- 
markable— indeed,  in  some  respects,-quite  a  ro- 
mantic story. 

The  name  of  his  father,  who  reigned  as  Em- 
peror of  Russia  from  1645  to  1676,  was  Alexis 
Michaelowitz.  In  the  course  of  his  life,  this 
Emperor  Alexis  was  twice  married.  By  his 
first  wife  he  had  two  sons,  whose  names  were 
Theodore  and  John,*  and  four  daughters.  The 
names  of  the  daughters  were  Sophia,  Catharine, 
Mary,  and  Sediassa.  By  his  second  wife  he 
had  two  children — a  son  and  a  daughter.  The 
name  of  the  son  was  Peter,  and  that  of  the 
daughter  was  Natalia  Alexowna.  Of  all  these 
children,  those  with  whom  we  have  most  to  do 
are  the  two  oldest  sons,  Theodore  and  John, 

*  The  Russian  form  of  these  names  is  Fosdor  and  Iran. 


14  Peter  the  Great.         [1676. 


Death  of  his  father.  The  princesses.  Their  places  of  seclusion. 

and  the  oldest  daughter,  Sophia,  by  the  first 
wife;  and  Peter,  the  oldest  son  by  the  second 
wife,  the  hero  of  this  history.  The  name  of 
the  second  wife,  Peter's  mother,  was  Natalia. 

Of  course,  Theodore,  at  his  father's  death,  was 
heir  to  the  throne.  Next  to  him  in  the  line  of 
succession  came  John ;  and  next  after  John 
came  Peter,  the  son  of  the  second  wife ;  for,  by 
the  ancient  laws  and  usages  of  the  Muscovite 
monarchy,  the  daughters  were  excluded  from 
the  succession  altogether.  Indeed,  not  only 
were  the  daughters  excluded  themselves  from 
the  throne,  but  special  precautions  were  taken 
to  prevent  their  ever  having  sons  to  lay  claim 
to  it.  They  were  forbidden  to  marry,  and,  in 
order  to  make  it  impossible  that  they  should 
ever  violate  this  rule,  they  were  all  placed  in 
convents  before  they  arrived  at  a  marriageable 
age,  and  were  compelled  to  pass  their  lives 
there  in  seclusion.  Of  course,  the  convents 
where  these  princesses  were  lodged  were  very 
richly  and  splendidly  endowed,  and  the  royal 
inmates  enjoyed  within  the  walls  every  comfort 
and  luxury  which  could  possibly  be  procured 
for  them  in  such  retreats,  and  which  could  tend 
in  any  measure  to  reconcile  them  to  being  for- 
ever debarred  from  all  the  pleasures  of  love 
and  the  sweets  of  domestic  life. 


1676.]     The   Princess  Sophia.  15 

Theodore  anfl  John.  Sophia  uneasy  in  the  convent. 

Now  it  so  happened  that  both  Theodore  and 
John  were  feeble  and  sickly  children,  while  Pe- 
ter was  robust  and  strong.  The  law  of  descent 
was,  however,  inexorable,  and,  on  the  death  of 
Alexis,  Theodore  ascended  to  the  throne.  Be- 
sides, even  if  it  had  been  possible  to  choose 
among  the  sons  of  Alexis,  Peter  was  at  this 
time  altogether  too  young  to  reign,  for  at  his 
father's  death  he  was  only  about  four  years 
old.  He  was  born  in  1672,  and  his  father  died 
in  1676. 

Theodore  was  at  this  time  about  sixteen. 
Of  course,  however,  being  so  young,  and  his 
health  being  so  infirm,  he  could  not  take  any 
active  part  in  the  administration  of  govern- 
ment, but  was  obliged  to  leave  every  thing  in 
the  hands  of  his  counselors  and  ministers  of 
state,  who  managed  affairs  as  they  thought 
proper,  though  they  acted  always  in  Theodore's 
name. 

There  were  a  great  many  persons  who  were 
ambitious  of  having  a  share  of  the  power  which 
the  young  Czar  thus  left  in  the  hands  of  his 
subordinates;  and,  among  these,  perhaps  the 
most  ambitious  of  all  was  the  Princess  Sophia, 
Theodore's  sister,  who  was  all  this  time  shut  up 
in  the  convent  to  which  the  rules  and  regula- 
tions of  imperial  etiquette  consigned  her.     Sho 


10  Peter  the  G-reat.        [1676. 

Her  request.  Her  probable  motives.  *  Her  success. 

was  very  uneasy  in  this  confinement,  and  wish- 
ed very  much  to  get  released,  thinking  that  if 
she  could  do  so  she  should  be  able  to  make 
herself  of  considerable  consequence  in  the  man- 
agement of  public  affairs.  So  she  made  appli- 
cation to  the  authorities  to  be  allowed  to  go  to 
the  palace  to  see  and  take  care  of  her  brother 
in  his  sickness.  This  application  was  at  length 
complied  with,  and  Sophia  went  to  the  palace. 
Here  she  devoted  herself  with  so  much  assidu- 
ity to  the  care  of  her  brother,  watching  con- 
stantly at  his  bedside,  and  suffering  no  one  to 
attend  upon  him  or  to  give  him  medicines  but 
herself,  that  she  won  not  only  his  heart,  but  the 
hearts  of  all  the  nobles  of  the  court,  by  her 
seemingly  disinterested  sisterly  affection. 

Indeed,  it  is  not  by  any  means  impossible 
that  Sophia  might  have  been  at  first  disinter- 
ested and  sincere  in  her  desire  to  minister  to 
the  wants  of  her  brother,  and  to  solace  and 
comfort  him  in  his  sickness.  But,  however 
this  may  have  been  at  the  outset,  the  result  was 
that,  after  a  time,  she  acquired  so  much  popu- 
larity and  influence  that  she  became  quite  an 
important  personage  at  court.  She  was  a  very 
talented  and  accomplished  young  woman,  and 
was  possessed,  moreover,  of  a  strong  and  mas- 
culine character.     Yet  she  was  very  agreeable 


1676.]     The  Princess  Sophia.  17 

Increase  of  her  influence.  Jealousies.  Parties  formed. 

and  insinuating  in  her  manners ;  and  she  con- 
versed so  affably,  and  at  the  same  time  so  in- 
telligently, with  all  the 'grandees  of  the  empire, 
as  they  came  by  turns  to  visit  her  brother  in 
his  sick  chamber,  that  they  all  formed  a  very 
high  estimate  of  her  character. 

She  also  obtained  a  great  ascendency  over 
the  mind  of  Theodore  himself,  and  this,  of  it- 
self, very  much  increased  her  importance  in  the 
eyes  of  the  courtiers.  They  all  began  to  think 
that,  if  they  wished  to  obtain  any  favor  of  the 
emperor,  it  was  essential  that  they  should  stand 
wellwith  the  princess.  Thus  every  one,  find- 
ing how  fast  she  was  rising  in  influence,  wished 
to  have  the  credit  of  being  her  earliest  and  most 
devoted  friend ;  so  they  all  vied  with  each  oth- 
er in  efforts  to  aid  in  aggrandizing  her. 
A  Things  went  on  in  this  way  very  prosper- 
ously for  a  time ;  but  at  length,  as  might  have 
been  anticipated,  suspicions  and  jealousies  be- 
gan to  arise,  and,  after  a  time,  the  elements  of 
a  party  opposed  to  the  princess  began  to  be  de- 
veloped. These  consisted  chiefly  of  the  old 
nobles  of  the  empire,  the  heads  of  the  great 
families  who  had  been  accustomed,  under  the 
emperors,  to  wield  the  chief  power  of  the  state. 
These  persons  were  naturally  jealous  of  the  as- 
cendency which  they  saw  that  the  princess  was 


18  Peter  the   Great.         [1676. 

The  imperial  guards.  Their  character  and  influence. 

acquiring,  and  they  began  to  plot  together  in 
order  to  devise  means  for  restricting  or  control- 
ling it. 

But,  besides  these  nobles,  there  was  another 
very  important  power  at  the  imperial  court  at 
this  time,  namely,  the  army.  In  all  despotic 
governments,  it  is  necessary  for  the  sovereign 
to  have  a  powerful  military  force  under  his 
command,  to  maintain  him  in  his  place;  and  it 
is  necessary  for  him  to  keep  this  force  as  sepa- 
rate and  independent  as  possible  from  the  peo- 
ple. There  was  in  Eussia  at  this  time  a  very 
powerful  body  of  trooj)s,  which  had  been  or- 
ganized by  the  emperors,  and  was  maintained 
by  them  as  an  imperial  guard.  The  name  of 
this  body  of  troops  was  the  Strelitz ;  but,  in 
order  not  to  encumber  the  narrative  unneces- 
sarily with  foreign  words,  I  shall  call  them 
simply  the  Guards. 

Of  course,  a  body  of  troops  like  these,  or- 
ganized and  maintained  by  a  despotic  dynasty 
for  the  express  purpose,  in  a  great  measure,  of 
defending  the  sovereign  against  his  subjects, 
becomes  in  time  a  very  important  element  of 
power  in  the  state.  The  officers  form  a  class 
by  themselves,  separate  from,  and  jealous  of  the 
nobles  of  the  country ;  and  this  state  of  things 
has  often  led  to  very  serious  collisions  and  out- 


1682.]     The  Princess  Sophia.  19 

Dangers.  Sophia  and  the  soldiers. 

breaks.  The  guards  have  sometimes  proved 
too  strong  for  the  dynasty  that  created  them, 
and  have  made  their  own  generals  the  real 
monarchs  of  the  country.  "When  such  a  state 
of  things  as  this  exists,  the  government  which 
results  is  called  a  military  despotism.  This 
happened  in  the  days  of  the  Eoman  empire. 
The  army,  which  was  originally  formed  by  the 
regular  authorities  of  the  country,  and  kept  for 
a  time  in  strict  subjection  to  them,  finally  be- 
came too  powerful  to  be  held  any  longer  under 
control,  and  they  made  their  own  leading  gen- 
eral emperor  for  many  successive  reigns,  thus 
wholly  subverting  the  republic  which  origi- 
nally organized  and  maintained  them. 

It  was  such  a  military  body  as  this  which 
now  possessed  great  influence  and  power  at 
Moscow.  The  Princess  Sophia,  knowing  how 
important  it  would  be  to  her  to  secure  the  in- 
fluence of  such  a  power  upon  her  side,  paid 
great  attention  to  the  officers,  and  omitted  noth- 
ing in  her  power  which  was  calculated  to  in- 
crease her  popularity  with  the  whole  corps. 
The  result  was  that  the  Guards  became  her 
friends,  while  a  great  many  of  the  old  nobles 
were  suspicious  and  jealous  of  her,  and  were 
beginning  to  devise  means  to  curtail  her  in-* 
creasing  influence. 


20  Peter  the  Great.        [1682. 

Sophia's  continued  success.        Death  of  Theodore.        Peter  proclaimed. 

But,  notwithstanding  all  that  they  could  do, 
the  influence  of  Sophia  increased  continually, 
until  the  course  of  public  affairs  came  to  be,  in 
fact,  almost  entirely  under  her  direction.  The 
chief  minister  of  state  was  a  certain  Prince  Galit- 
zin,  who  was  almost  wholly  devoted  to  her  in- 
terests. Indeed,  it  was  through  her  influence 
that  he  was  appointed  to  his  office.  Things  con- 
tinued in  this  state  for  about  six  years,  and  then, 
at  length,  Theodore  was  taken  suddenly  sick. 
It  soon  became  evident  that  he  could  not  live. 
On  his  dying  bed  he  designated  Peter  as  his 
successor,  passing  over  his  brother  John.  The 
reason  for  this  was  that  John  was  so  extremely 
feeble  and  infirm  that  he  seemed  to  be  wholly 
unfit  to  reign  over  such  an  empire.  Besides 
various  other  maladies  under  which  he  suffer- 
ed, he  was  afflicted  with  epilepsy,  a  disease 
which  rendered  it  wholly  unsuitable  that  he 
should  assume  any  burdens  whatever  of  re- 
sponsibility and  care. 

It  is  probable  that  it  was  through  the  influ- 
ence of  some  of  the  nobles  who  were  opposed 
to  Sophia  that  Theodore  was  induced  thus  to 
designate  Peter  as  his  successor.  However  this 
may  be,  Peter,  though  then  only  ten  years  old, 
was  proclaimed  emperor  by  the  nobles  imme- 
diately after  Theodore's   death.     Sophia  was 


1682.]     The  Princess  Sophia.  21 

Plots  formed  by  Sophia.       Kevolution.       Means  of  exciting  the  people. 

much  disappointed,  and  became  greatly  indig- 
nant at  these  proceedings.  John  was  her  own 
brother,  while  Peter,  being  a  son  of  the  second 
wife,  was  only  her  half-brother.  John,  too,  on 
account  of  his  feeble  health,  would  probably 
never  be  able  to  take  any  charge  of  the  gov- 
ernment, and  she  thought  that,  if  he  had  been 
allowed  to  succeed  Theodore,  she  herself  might 
have  retained  the  real  power  in  her  hands,  as 
regent,  as  long  as  she  lived;  whereas  Peter 
promised  to  have  strength  and  vigor  to  govern 
the  empire  himself  in  a  few  years,  and,  in  the 
mean  time,  while  he  remained  in  his  minority, 
it  was  natural  to  expect  that  he  would  be  under 
the  influence  of  persons  connected  with  his  own 
branch  of  the  family,  who  would  be  hostile  to 
her,  and  that  thus  her  empire  would  come  to 
an  end. 

So  she  determined  to  resist  the  transfer  of  the 
supreme  power  to  Peter.  She  secretly  engaged 
the  Guards  on  her  side.  The  commander-in- 
chief  of  the  Guards  was  an  officer  named  Cou- 
vansky.  He  readily  acceded  to  her  proposals, 
and,  in  conjunction  with  him,  she  planned  and 
organized  a  revolution. 

In  order  to  exasperate  the  people  and  the 
Guards,  and  excite  them  to  the  proper  pitch  of 
violence,  Sophia  and  Couvansky  spread  a  re- 


22  Peter  the  Great.         [1682. 

Poisoning.  Effect  of  the  stories  that  were  circulated. 

port  that  the  late  emperor  had  not  died  a  natu- 
ral death,  but  had  been  poisoned.  This  mur- 
der had  been  committed,  they  said,  by  a  party 
who  hoped,  by  setting  Theodore  and  his  brother 
John  aside,  to  get  the  power  into  their  hands 
in  the  name  of  Peter,  whom  they  intended  to 
make  emperor,  in  violation  of  the  rights  of 
John,  Theodore's  true  heir.  There  was  a  plan 
also  formed,  they  said,  to  poison  all  the  princi- , 
pal  officers  of  the  Guards,  who,  the  conspirators 
knew,  would  oppose  their  wicked  proceedings, 
and  perhaps  prevent  the  fulfillment  of  them  if 
they  were  not  put  out  of  the  way.  The  poison 
by  which  Theodore  had  been  put  to  death  was 
administered,  they  said,  by  two  physicians  who 
attended  upon  him  in  his  sickness,  and  who 
had  been  bribed  to  give  him  poison  with  his 
medicine.  The  Guards  were  to  have  been  de- 
stroyed by  means  of  poison,  which  was  to  have 
been  mixed  with  the  brandy  and  the  beer  that 
was  distributed  to  them  on  the  occasion  of  the 
funeral. 

These  stories  produced  a  great  excitement 
among  the  Guards,  and  also  among  a  consider- 
able portion  of  the  people  of  Moscow.  The 
Guards  came  out  into  the  streets  and  around 
the  palaces  in  great  force.  They  first  seized 
the  two  physicians  who  were  accused  of  having 


1682.]     The  Princess  Sophia.  23 

Peter  and  his  mother.     The  Monastery  of  the  Trinity.     Natalia's  flight. 

poisoned  the  emperor,  and  killed  them  on  the 
spot.  Then  they  took  a  number  of  nobles  of 
high  rank,  and  officers  of  state,  who  were  sup- 
posed to  be  the  leaders  of  the  party  in  favor  of 
Peter,  and  the  instigators  of  the  murder  of 
Theodore,  and,  dragging  them  out  into  the  pub- 
lic squares,  slew  them  without  mercy.  Some 
they  cut  to  pieces.  Others  they  threw  down 
from  the  wall  of  the  imperial  palace  upon  the 
soldiers'  pikes  below,  which  the  men  held  up 
for  the  purpose  of  receiving  them. 

Peter  was  at  this  time  with  his  mother  in  the 
palace.  Natalia  was  exceedingly  alarmed,  not 
for  herself,  but  for  her  son.  As  soon  as  the 
revolution  broke  out  she  made  her  escape  from 
the  palace,  and  set  out  with  Peter  in  her  arms 
to  fly  to  a  celebrated  family  retreat  of  the  em- 
peror's, called  the  Monastery  of  the  Trinity. 
This  monastery  was  a  sort  of  country  palace 
of  the  Czar's,  which,  besides  being  a  pleasant 
rural  retreat,  was  also,  from  its  religious  char- 
acter, a  sanctuary  where  fugitives  seeking  ref- 
uge in  it  might,  under  all  ordinary  circum- 
stances, feel  themselves  beyond  the  reach  of 
violence  and  of  every,  species  of  hostile  molest- 
ation. 

Natalia  fled  with  Peter  and  a  few  attendants 
to  this  refuge,  hotly  pursued,  however,  all  the 


24  Peter  the  Great.        [1682. 

Narrow  escape  of  Peter.  Commotion  in  the  city. 

way  by  a  body  of  the  Guards.  If  the  fugitives 
had  been  overtaken  on  the  way,  both  mother 
and  son  would  doubtless  have  been  cut  to 
pieces  without  mercy.  As  it  was,  they  very 
narrowly  escaped,  for  when  Natalia  arrived  at 
the  convent  the  soldiers  were  close  upon  her. 
Two  of  them  followed  her  in  before  the  doors 
could  be  closed.  Natalia  rushed  into  the  church, 
which  formed  the  centre  of  the  convent  inclo- 
sure,  and  took  refuge  with  her  child  at  the  foot 
of  the  altar.  The  soldiers  pursued  her  there, 
brandishing  their  swords,  and  were  apparently 
on  the  point  of  striking  the  fatal  blow ;  but 
the  sacredness  of  the  place  seemed  to  arrest 
them  at  the  last  moment,  and,  after  pausing 
an  instant  with  their  uplifted  swords  in  their 
hands,  and  uttering  imprecations  against  their 
victims  for  having  thus  escaped  them,  they  sul- 
lenly retired. 

In  the  mean  time  the  commotion  in  the  city 
went  on,  and  for  several  days  no  one  could  fore^ 
see  how  it  would  end.  At  length  a  sort  of 
compromise  was  effected,  and  it  was  agreed  by 
the  two  parties  that  John  should  be  proclaimed 
Czar,  not  alone,  but  in  conjunction  with  his 
brother  Peter,  the  regency  to  remain  for  the 
present,  as  it  had  been,  in  the  hands  of  Sophia. 

Thus  Sophia  really  gained  all  her  ends ;  for 


1682.]    The  Pkincess  Sophia.  25 

Sophia  is  successful.  Couvansky's  schemes. 

the  retaining  of  Peter's  name,  as  nominally  Czar 
in  conjunction  with  his  brother,  was  of  no  con- 
sequence, since  her  party  had  proved  itself  the 
strongest  in  the  struggle,  and  all  the  real  power 
remained  in  her  hands.  She  had  obtained  this 
triumph  mainly  through  Couvansky  and  the 
Guards;  and  now, having  accomplished  her  pur- 
poses by  means  of  their  military  violence,  she 
wished,  of  course,  that  they  should  retire  to 
their  quarters,  and  resume  their  habits  of  sub- 
ordination, and  of  submission  to  the  civil  au- 
thority. But  this  they  would  not  do.  Cou- 
vansky, having  found  how  important  a  person- 
age he  might  become  through  the  agency  of  the 
terrible  organization  which  was  under  his  di- 
rection and  control,  was  not  disposed  at  once 
to  lay  aside  his  power ;  and  the  soldiers,  intox- 
icated with  the  delights  of  riot  and  pillage, 
could  not  now  be  easily  restrained.  Sophia 
found,  as  a  great  many  other  despotic  rulers 
have  done  in  similar  cases,  that  she  had  evoked 
a  power  which  she  could  not  now  control.  Cou- 
vansky and  the  troops  under  his  command  con- 
tinued their  ravages  in  the  city,  plundering  the 
rich  houses  of  every  thing  that  could  gratify 
their  appetites  and  passions,  and  murdering  all 
whom  they  imagined  to  belong  to  the  party  op- 
posed to  them. 


26  Peter  the   Great.         [1682. 

Sophia's  attempts  to  appease  the  soldiers.  No  effect  produced. 

Sophia  first  tried  to  appease  them  and  reduce 
them  to  order  by  conciliatory  measures.  From 
the  Monastery  of  the  Trinity,  to  which  she  had 
herself  now  retreated  for  safety,  she  sent-a  mes- 
sage to  Couvansky  and  to  the  other  chiefs  of 
the  army,  thanking  them  for  the  zeal  which 
they  had  shown  in  revenging  the  death  of  her 
brother,  the  late  emperor,  and  in  vindicating 
the  rights  of  the  true  successor,  John,  and  prom- 
ising to  remember,  and  in  due  time  to  reward, 
the  great  services  which  they  had  rendered  to 
the  state.  She  added  that,  now,  since  the  end 
which  they  all  had  in  view  in  the  movement 
which  they  had  made  had  been  entirely  and 
happily  accomplished,  the  soldiers  should  be 
restrained  from  any  farther  violence,  and  recall- 
ed to  their  quarters. 

This  message  had  no  effect.  Indeed,  Cou- 
vansky, finding  how  great  the  power  was  of  the 
corps  which  he  commanded,  began  to  conceive 
the  idea  that  he  might  raise  himself  to  the  su- 
preme command.  He  thought  that  the  Guards 
•were  all  devoted  to  him,  and  would  do  what- 
ever he  required  of  them.  He  held  secret  con- 
ferences with  the  principal  officers  under  his 
command,  and  endeavored  to  prepare  their 
minds  for  the  revolution  which  he  contempla- 
ted by  representing  to  them  that  neither  of  the 


1682.]     The  Princess  Sophia.  27 

Couvansky's  views.  His  plan  of  a  marriage  for  his  son. 


princes  who  had  been  proclaimed  were  fit  to 
reign.  John,  he  said,  was  almost  an  imbecile, 
on  account  of  the  numerous  and  hopeless  bod- 
ily infirmities  to  which  he  was  subject.  Peter 
was  yet  a  mere  boy;  and  then,  besides,  even 
when  he  should  become  a  man,  he  would  very 
likely  be  subject  to  the  same  diseases  with  his 
brother.  These  men  would  never  have  either 
the  intelligence  to  appreciate  or  the  power  to 
reward  such  services  as  the  Guards  were  capa- 
ble of  rendering  to  the  state ;  whereas  he,  their 
commander,  and  one  of  their  own  body,  would 
be  both  able  and  disposed  to  do  them  ample 
justice. 

Couvansky  also  conceived  the  design  of  se- 
curing and  perpetuating  the  power  which  he 
hoped  thus  to  acquire  through  the  army  by  a 
marriage  of  his  son  with  one  of  the  princesses 
of  the  imperial  family.  He  selected  Catharine, 
who  was  Sophia's  sister — the  one  next  in  age 
to  her — for  the  intended  bride.  He  cautiously 
proposed  this  plan  to  Sophia,  hoping  that  she 
might  be  induced  to  approve  and  favor  it,  in 
which  case  he  thought  that  every  obstacle 
would  be  removed  from  his  way,  and  the  ends 
of  his  ambition  would  be  easily  and  perma- 
nently attained. 

But  Sophia  was  perfectly  indignant  at  such 


28  Peter  the  Great.        [1682. 

Indignation  of  Sophia.  A  stratagem. 

a  proposal.  It  seemed  to  her  the  height  of 
presumption  and  audacity  for  a  mere  general 
in  the  army  to  aspire  to  a  connection  by  mar- 
riage with  the  imperial  family,  and  to  a  trans- 
fer, in  consequence,  of  the  supreme  power  to 
himself  and  to  his  descendants  forever.  She 
resolved  immediately  to  adopt  vigorous  meas- 
ures to  defeat  these  schemes  in  the  most  effect- 
ual manner.  She  determined  to  kill  Couvan- 
sky.  But,  as  the  force  which  he  commanded 
was  so  great  that  she  could  not  hope  to  accom- 
plish any  thing  by  an  open  contest,  she  con- 
cluded to  resort  to  stratagem.  She  accordingly 
pretended  to  favor  Couvansky's  plans,  and 
seemed  to  be  revolving  in  her  mind  the  means 
of  carrying  them  into  effect.  Among  other 
things,  she  soon  announced  a  grand  celebration 
of  the  Princess  Catharine's  fete-day,  to  be  held 
at  the  Monastery  of  the  Trinity,  and  invited 
Couvansky  to  attend  it*     Couvansky  joyfully 

*  These  celebrations  were  somewhat  similar  to  the  birth- 
day celebrations  of  England  and  America,  only  the  day  on 
which  they  were  held  Avas  not  the  birth-day  of  the  lady,  but 
the  fete-day,  as  it  was  called,  of  her  patron  saint — that  is, 
of  the  saint  whose  name  she  bore.  All  the  names  for  girls 
used  in  those  countries  where  the  Greek  or  the  Catholic 
Church  prevails  are  names  of  saints,  each  one  of  whom  has 
in  the  calendar  a  certain  day  set  apart  as  her  fete-day. 
Each  girl  considers  the  saint  from  whom  she  is  named  as 


1682.]     The  Princess  Sophia.         29 

Couvansky  falls  into  the  snare.  Excitement  produced  by  his  death. 

accepted  this  invitation,  supposing  that  the  oc- 
casion would  afford  him  an  admirable  opportu- 
nity to  advance  his  views  in  respect  to  his  son. 

So  Couvansky,  accompanied  by  his  son,  set 
out  on  the  appointed  day  from  Moscow  to  pro- 
ceed to  the  monastery.  Not  suspecting  any 
treachery,  he  was  accompanied  by  only  a  small 
escort.  On  the  road  he  was  waylaid  by  a 
body  of  two  hundred  horsemen,  whom  Galit- 
zin,  Sophia's  minister  of  state,  had  sent  to  the 
spot.  Couvansky's  guard  was  at  once  over- 
powered, and  both  he  and  his  son  were  taken 
prisoners.  They  were  hurried  at  once  to  a 
house,  where  preparations  for  receiving  them 
had  already  been  made,  and  there,  without  any 
delay,  sentence  of  death  against  them  both,  on 
a  charge  of  treason,  was  read  to  them,  and  their 
heads  were  cut  off  on  the  spot. 

The  news  of  this  execution  spread  with  great 
rapidity,  and  it  produced,  of  course,  an  intense 
excitement  and  commotion  among  all  the 
Guards  as  fast  as  it  became  known  to  them. 
They  threatened  vengeance  against  the  gov- 
ernment for  having  thus  assassinated,  as  they 
expressed  it,  their  chief  and  father.    They  soon 

her  patron  saint,  and  the  fete-day  of  this  saint,  instead  of 
her  own  birth-day,  is  the  anniversary  which  is  celebrated  in 
honor  of  her. 


30  Peter  the   Great.         [1684; 

Galitzin.  Measures  adopted  by  him. 

put  themselves  in  motion,  and  began  murder- 
ing, plundering,  and  destroying  more  furiously 
than  ever.  The  violence  which  they  display- 
ed led  to  a  reaction.  A  party  was  formed, 
even  among  the  Guards,  of  persons  that  were 
disposed  to  discountenance  these  excesses,  and 
even  to  submit  to  the  government.  The  min- 
ister Galitzin  took  advantage  of  these  dissen- 
sions to  open  a  communication  with  those  who 
were  disposed  to  return  to  their  duty.  He 
managed  the  affair  so  well  that,  in  the  end,  the 
great  body  of  the  soldiers  were  brought  over, 
and,  finally,  they  themselves,  of  their  own  ac- 
cord, slew  the  officers  who  had  been  most  act- 
ive in  the  revolt,  and  offered  their  heads  to  the 
minister  in  token  of  their  submission.  They 
also  implored  pardon  of  the  government  for  the 
violence  and  excess  into  which  they  had  been 
led.  Of  course,  this  pardon  was  readily  grant- 
ed. The  places  of  Couvansky  and  of  the  other 
officers  who  had  been  slain  were  filled  by  new 
appointments,  who  were  in  the  interest  of  the 
Princess  Sophia,  and  the  whole  corps  returned 
to  their  duty.  Order  was  now  soon  fully  re- 
stored in  Moscow,  rendering  it  safe  for  Sophia 
and  her  court  to  leave  the  monastery  and  re- 
turn to  the  royal  palace  in  the  town.  Galitzin 
was  promoted  to  a  higher  office,  and  invested 


1684.]     The   Princess  Sophia.  31 


They  are  successful. 


with,  more  extended  powers  than  he  had  yet 
held,  and  Sophia  found  herself  finally  estab- 
lished as  the  real  sovereign .  of  the  country, 
though,  of  course,  she  reigned  in  the  name  of 
her  brothers. 


32  Peter  the  Great.         [1684. 

Sophia  at  the  height  of  her  power.  Military  expeditions. 


Chapter  II. 
The  Princess's  Downfall. 

THE  Princess  Sophia  was  now  in  full  pos- 
session of  power,  so  that  she  reigned  su- 
preme in  the  palaces  and  in  the  capital,  while, 
of  course,  the  ordinary  administration  of  the 
affairs  of  state,  and  the  relations  of  the  empire 
with  foreign  nations,  were  left  to  Gralitzin  and 
the  other  ministers.  It  was  in  1684  that  she 
secured  possession  of  this  power,  and  in  1689 
her  regency  came  to  an  end,  so  that  she  was,  in 
fact,  the  ruler  of  the  Kussian  empire  for  a  period 
of  about  five  years. 

During  this  time  one  or  two  important  mili- 
tary expeditions  were  set  on  foot  by  her  gov- 
ernment. The  principal  was  a  campaign  in 
the  southern  part  of  the  empire  for  the  con- 
quest of  the  Crimea,  which  country,  previous 
to  that  time,  had  belonged  to  the  Turks.  Po- 
land was  at  that  period  a  very  powerful  king- 
dom, and  the  Poles,  having  become  involved  in 
a  war  with  the  Turks,  proposed  to  the  Eussians, 
or  Muscovites,  as  they  were  then  generally  call- 
fd,  to  join  them  in  an  attempt  to  conquer  the 


1684.]  The  Princess's  Downfall.  83 

The  Cham  of  Tartary.  Mazeppa. 

Crimea.  The  Tartars  who  inhabited  the  Crimea 
and  the  country  to  the  northeastward  of  it  were 
on  the  side  of  the  Turks,  so  that  the  Eussians 
had  two  enemies  to  contend  with. 

The  supreme  ruler  of  the  Tartars  was  a  chief- 
tain called  a  Cham,  He  was  a  potentate  of 
great  power  and  dignity,  superior,  indeed,  to 
the  Czars  who  ruled  in  Muscovy/  In  fact,  there 
had  been  an  ancient  treaty  by  which  this  su- 
periority of  the  Cham  was  recognized  and  ac- 
knowledged in  a  singular  way — one  which  il- 
lustrates curiously  the  ideas  and  manners  of 
those  times.  The  treaty  stipulated,  among  other 
things,  that  whenever  the  Czar  and  the  Cham 
should  chance  to  meet,  the  Czar  should  hold  the 
Cham's  stirrup  while  he  mounted  his  horse,  and 
also  feed  the  horse  with  oats  out  of  his  cap. 

In  the  war  between  the  Muscovites  and  the 
Tartars  for  the  possession  of  the  Crimea,  a  cer- 
tain personage  appeared,  who  has  since  been 
made  very  famous  by  the  poetry  of  Byron.  It 
was  Mazeppa,  the  unfortunate  chieftain  whose 
frightful  ride  through  the  tangled  thickets  of  an 
uncultivated  country,  bound  naked  to  a  wild 
horse,  was  described  with  so  much  graphic 
power  by  the  poet,  and  has  been  so  often  rep- 
resented in  paintings  and  engravings. 

Mazeppa  was  a  Polish  gentleman.  He  was 
C 


34  Peter  the  G-reat.         [1684. 

Origin  and  history.  His  famous  punishment.  Subsequent  history. 

brought  up  as  a  page  in  the  family  of  the  King 
of  Poland.  When  he  became  a  man  he  mor- 
tally offended  a  certain  Polish  nobleman  by 
some  improprieties  in  which  he  became  in- 
volved with  the  nobleman's  wife.  The  husband 
caused  him  to  be  seized  and  cruelly  scourged, 
and  then  to  be  bound  upon  the  back  of  a  wild, 
ungovernable  horse.  "When  all  was  ready  the 
horse  was  turned  loose  upon  the  Ukrain,  and, 
terrified  with  the  extraordinary  burden  which 
he  felt  upon  his  back,  and  uncontrolled  by  bit 
or  rein,  he  rushed  madly  on  through  the  wild- 
est recesses  of  the  forest,  until  at  length  he  fell 
down  exhausted  with  terror  and  fatigue.  Some 
Cossack  peasants  found  and  rescued  Mazeppa, 
and  took  care  of  him  in  one  of  their  huts  untD 
he  recovered  from  his  wounds. 

Mazeppa  was  a  well-educated  man,  and  high- 
ly accomplished  in  the  arts  of  war  as  they  were 
practiced  in  those  days.  He  soon  acquired 
great  popularity  among  the  Cossacks,  and,  in 
the  end,  rose  to  be  a  chieftain  among  them, 
and  he  distinguished  himself  greatly  in  these 
very  campaigns  in  the  Crimea,  fought  by  the 
Muscovites  against  the  Turks  and  Tartars  dur- 
ing the  regency  of  the  Princess  Sophia. 

If  the  war  thus  waged  by  the  government 
of  the  empress  had  been  successful,  it  would 


1684.]  The  Princess's  Downfall.  85 

The  war  unsuccessful.  Sophia's  artful  policy. 

have  greatly  strengthened  the  position  of  her 
party  in  Moscow,  and  increased  her  own  power ; 
but  it  was  not  successful.  Prince  Gralitzin,  who 
had  the  chief  command  of  the  expedition,  was 
obliged,  after  all,  to  withdraw  his  troops  from 
the  country,  and  make  a  very  unsatisfactory 
peace ;  but  he  did  not  dare  to  allow  the  true 
result  of  the  expedition  to  be  known  in  Mos- 
cow, for  fear  of  the  dissatisfaction  which,  he 
felt  convinced,  would  be  occasioned  there  by 
such  intelligence ;  and  the  distance  was  so 
great,  and  the  means  of  communication  in  those 
days  were  so  few,  that  it  was  comparatively 
easy  to  falsify  the  accounts.  So,  after  he  had 
made  peace  with  the  Tartars,  and  began  to  draw 
off  his  army,  he  sent  couriers  to  Moscow  to  the 
Czars,  and  also  to  the  King  in  Poland,  with 
news  of  great  victories  which  he  had  obtained 
against  the  Tartars,  of  conquests  which  he  made 
in  their  territories,  and  of  his  finally  having 
compelled  them  to  make  peace  on  terms  ex- 
tremely favorable.  The  Princess  Sophia,  as 
soon  as  this  news  reached  her  in  Moscow,  or- 
dered that  arrangements  should  be  made  for 
great  public  rejoicings  throughout  the  empire 
on  account  of  the  victories  which  had  been  ob- 
tained. According  to  the  custom,  too,  of  the 
Muscovite  government,  in  cases  where  great 


36  Peter  the  Great.        [1684 

Rewards  and  honors  to  the  army.  The  opposition.  Their  plans. 

victories  had  been  won,  the  council  drew  up  a 
formal  letter  of  thanks  and  commendations  to 
the  officers  and  soldiers  of  the  army,  and  sent 
it  to  them  by  a  special  messenger,  with  pro- 
motions and  other  honors  for  the  chiefs,  and 
rewards  in  money  for  the  men.  The  princess 
and  her  government  hoped,  by  these  means,  to 
conceal  the  bad  success  of  their  enterprise,  and 
to  gain,  instead  of  losing,  credit  and  strength 
with  the  people. 

But  during  all  this  time  a  party  opposed  to 
Sophia  and  her  plans  had  been  gradually  form- 
ing, and  it  was  now  increasing  in  numbers  and 
influence  every  day.  The  men  of  this  party 
naturally  gathered  around  Peter,  intending  to 
make  him  their  leader.  Peter  had  now  grown 
up  to  be  a  young  man.  In  the  next  chapter 
we  shall  give  some  account  of  the  manner  in 
which  his  childhood  and  early  youth  were 
spent;  but  he  was  now  about  eighteen  years 
old,  and  the  party  who  adhered  to  him  formed 
the  plan  of  marrying  him.  So  they  proceeded 
to  choose  him  a  wife. 

The  reasons  which  led  them  to  advocate  this 
measure  were,  of  course,  altogether  political. 
They  thought  that  if  Peter  were  to  be  married, 
and  to  have  children,  all  the  world  would  see 
that  the  crown  must  necessarily  descend  in  his 


1684]  The  Pkincess's  Downfall.  37 

Reasons  for  the  proposed  marriage.  The  intended  wife. 

family,  since  John  had  no  children,  and  he  was 
so  sickly  and  feeble  that  it  was  not  probable 
that  even  he  himself  would  long  survive. 
They  knew  very  well,  therefore,  that  the  mar- 
riage of  Peter  and  the  birth  of  an  heir  would 
turn  all  men's  thoughts  to  him  as  the  real  per- 
sonage whose  favor  it  behooved  them  to  culti- 
vate; and  this,  they  supposed,  would  greatly 
increase  hjs  importance,  and  so  add  to  the 
strength  of  the  party  that  acted  in  his  name. 

It  turned  out  just  as  they  had  anticipated. 
The  wife  whom  the  councilors  chose  for  Peter 
was  a  young  lady  of  noble  birth,  the  daughter 
of  one  of  the  great  boiars,  as  they  were  called, 
of  the  empire.  Her  name  was  Gttokessa  Fede- 
rowna.  The  Princess  Sophia  did  all  in  her 
power  to  prevent  the  match,  but  her  efforts 
were  of  no  avail.  Peter  was  married,  and  the 
event  greatly  increased  his  importance  among 
the  nobles  and  among  the  people,  and  augment- 
ed the  power  and  influence  of  his  party.  In 
all  cases  of  this  kind,  where  a  contest  is  going 
on  between  rival  claimants  to  a  throne,  or  rival 
dynasties,  there  are  some  persons,  though  not 
many,  who  are  governed  in  their  conduct,  in 
respect  to  the  side  which  they  take,  by  prin- 
ciples of  honor  and  duty,  and  of  faithful  ad- 
herence to  what  they  suppose  to  be  the  right. 


38  Peter  the  Great.         [1684. 

Motives  of  politicians.  Results  of  Peter's  marriage. 

But  a  vast  majority  of  courtiers  and  politicians 
in  all  countries  and  in  all  ages  are  only  anxious 
to  find  out,  not  which  side  is  right,  but  which 
is  likely  to  be  successful.  Accordingly,  in  this 
case,  as  the  marriage  of  Peter  made  it  still  more 
probable  than  it  was  before  that  he  would  in 
the  end  secure  to  his  branch  of  the  family  the 
supreme  power,  it  greatly  increased  the  tend- 
ency among  the  nobles  to  pay  thgir  court  to 
him  and  to  his  friends.  This  tendency  was 
still  more  strengthened  by  the  expectation 
which  soon  after  arose,  that  Peter's  wife  was 
about  to  give  birth  to  a  son.  The  probability 
of  the  appearance  of  a  son  and  heir  on  Peter's 
side,  taken  in  connection  with  the  hopeless 
childlessness  of  John,  seemed  to  turn  the  scales 
entirely  in  favor  of  Peter's  party.  This  was 
especially  the  case  in  respect  to  all  the  young 
nobles  as  they  successively  arrived  at  an  age  to 
take  an  interest  in  public  affairs.  All  these 
young  men  seemed  to  despise  the  imbecility, 
and  the  dark  and  uncertain  prospects  of  John, 
and  to  be  greatly  charmed  with  the  talents  and 
energy  of  Peter,  and  with  the  brilliant  future 
which  seemed  to  be  opening  before  him.  Thus 
even  the  nobles  who  still  adhered  to  the  cause 
of  Sophia  and  of  John  had  the  mortification  to 
find  that  their  sons,  as  fast  as  they  came  of  age, 
ali  went  over  to  the  other  side. 


1684.]  The  Princess's  Downfall.  39 

Peter's  country  house.        Keturn  of  Galitzin.         The  princess's  alarm. 

Peter  lived  at  this  time  with,  his  young  wife 
at  a  certain  country  palace  belonging  to  him, 
situated  on  the  banks  of  a  small  river  a  few 
miles  from  Moscow.  The  name  of  this  coun- 
try-seat was  Obrogensko. 

Such  was  the  state  of  things  at  Moscow  when 
Prince  Galitzin  returned  from  his  campaigns  in 
the  Crimea.  The  prince  found  that  the  power 
of  Sophia  and  her  party  was  rapidly  waning, 
and  that  Sophia  herself  was  in  a  state  of  great 
anxiety  and  excitement  in  respect  to  the  future. 
The  princess  gave  Galitzin  a  very  splendid  re- 
ception, and  publicly  rewarded  him  for  his  pre- 
tended success  in  the  war  by  bestowing  upon 
him  great  and  extraordinary  honors.  Still 
many  people  were  very  suspicious  of  the  truth 
of  the  accounts  which  were  circulated.  The 
partisans  of  Peter  called  for  proofs  that  the  vic- 
tories had  really  been  won.  Prince  Galitzin 
brought  with  him  to  the  capital  a  considerable 
force  of  Cossacks,  with  Mazeppa  at  their  head. 
The  Cossacks  had  never  before  been  allowed 
to  come  into  Moscow ;  but  now,  Sophia  having 
formed  a  desperate  plan  to  save  herself  from 
the  dangers  that  surrounded  her,  and  knowing 
that  these  men  would  unscrupulously  execute 
any  commands  that  were  given  to  them  by 
their  leaders,  directed  Galitzin  to  bring  them 


40  Peter  the  Great.      '  [1684. 

The  Cossacks.  Sophia's  plot.  The  commander  of  the  Guards. 

within  the  walls,  under  pretense  to  do  honor  to 
Mazeppa  for  the  important  services  which  he 
had  rendered  during  the  war.  But  this  meas- 
ure was  very  unpopular  with  the  people,  and, 
although  the  Cossacks  were  actually  brought 
within  the  walls,  they  were  subjected  to  such 
restrictions  there  that,  after  all,  Sophia  could 
not  employ  them  for  the  purpose  of  executing 
her  plot,  but  was  obliged  to  rely  on  the  regular 
Muscovite  troops  of  the  imperial  Guard. 

The  plot  which  she  formed  was  nothing  else 
than  the  assassination  of  Peter.  She  saw  no 
other  way  by  which  she  could  save  herself  from 
the  dangers  which  surrounded  her,  and  make 
sure  of  retaining  her  power.  Her  brother,  the 
Czar  John,  was  growing  weaker  and  more  in- 
significant every  day ;  while  Peter  and  his  par- 
ty, who  looked  upon  her,  she  knew,  with  very 
unfriendly  feelings,  were  growing  stronger  and 
stronger.  If  Peter  continued  to  live,  her  speedy 
downfall,  she  was  convinced,  was  sure.  She 
accordingly  determined  that  Peter  should  die. 

The  commander-in-chief  of  the  Guards  at  this 
time  was  a  man  named  Theodore  Thekelavb 
taw.  He  had  been  raised  to  this  exalted  post 
by  Sophia  herself  on  the  death  of  Couvansky. 
She  had  selected  him  for  this  office  with  special 
reference  to  his  subserviency  to  her  interests. 


1684]  The  Princess's  Downfall.  41 

Prince  Galitzin.  Details  of  the  plot. 

She  determined  now,  accordingly,  to  confide  to 
him  the  execution  of  her  scheme  for  the  assas- 
sination of  Peter. 

When  Sophia  proposed  her  plan  to  Prince 
Galitzin,  he  was  at  first  strongly  opposed  to  it, 
on  account  of  the  desperate  danger  which  would 
attend  such  an  undertaking.  But  she  urged 
upon  him  so  earnestly  the  necessity  of  the  case, 
representing  to  him  that  unless  some  very  de- 
cisive measures  were  adopted,  not  only  would 
she  herself  soon  be  deposed  from  power,  but 
that  he  and  all  his  family  and  friends  would  be 
involved  in  the  same  common  ruin,  he  at  length 
reluctantly  consented.  >0 

The  plan  was  at  last  fully  matured.  Theke- 
lavitaw,  the  commander  of  the  Guards,  selected 
six  hundred  men  to  go  with  him  to  Obrogen- 
sko.  They  were  to  go  in  the  night,  the  plan 
being  to  seize  Peter  in  his  bed.  When  the  ap- 
pointed night  arrived,  the  commander  marshal- 
ed his  men  and  gave  them  their  instructions, 
and  the  whole  body  set  out  upon  their  march 
to  Obrogensko  with  every  prospect  of  success- 
fully accomplishing  the  undertaking. 

But  the  whole  plan  was  defeated  in  a  very 
remarkable  manner.  While  the  commander 
was  giving  his  instructions  to  the  men,  two  of 
the  soldiers,  shocked  with  the  idea  of  being 


42  Peter  the   Great.         [1684. 

Manner  in  which  the  plot  was  discovered.  Messengers  dispatched. 

made  the  instruments  of  such  a  crime,  stole 
away  unobserved  in  the  darkness,  and  ran  with 
all  possible  speed  to  Obrogensko  to  warn  Peter 
of  his  danger.  Peter  leaped  from  his  bed  in  con- 
sternation, and  immediately  sent  to  the  apart- 
ments where  his  uncles,  the  brothers  of  his  moth- 
er, were  lodging,  to  summon  them  to  come  to 
him.  When  they  came,  a  hurried  consultation 
was  held.  There  was  some  doubt  in  the  minds 
of  Peter's  uncles  whether  the  story  which  the 
soldiers  told  was  to  be  believed.  They  thought 
it  could  not  possibly  be  true  that  so  atrocious  a 
crime  could  be  contemplated  by  Sophia.  Ac- 
cordingly, before  taking  any  measures  for  send- 
ing Peter  and  his  family  away,  they  determined 
to  send  messengers  toward  the  city  to  ascertain 
whether  any  detachment  of  Guards  was  really 
coming  toward  Obrogensko. 

These  messengers  set  off  at  once ;  but,  before 
they  had  reached  half  way  to  Moscow,  they 
met  Thekelavitaw's  detachment  of  Guards,  with 
Thekelavitaw  himself  at  the  head  of  them,  steal- 
ing furtively  along  the  road.  The  messengers 
hid  themselves  by  the  wayside  until  the  troop 
had  gone  by.-  Then  hurrying  away  round  by 
a  circuitous  path,  they  got  before  the  troop 
again,  and  reached  the  palace  before  the  assas- 
sins arrived.     Peter  had  just  time  to  get  into  a 


1684.]  The  Princess's  Downfall.  45 

The  sentinels.  The  detachment  arrives.  Peter's  place  of  refuge. 

coach,  with  his  wife,  his  sister,  and  one  or  two 
other  members  of  his  family,  and  to  drive  away 
from  the  palace  before  Thekelavitaw,  with  his 
band,  arrived.  The  sentinels  who  were  on. duty 
at  the  gates  of  the  palace  had  been  much  sur- 
prised at  the  sudden  departure  of  Peter  and  his 
family,  and  now  they  were  astonished  beyond 
measure  at  the  sudden  appearance  of  so  large 
a  body  of  their  comrades  arriving  at  midnight, 
without  any  warning,  from  the  barracks  in 
Moscow. 

Immediately  on  his  arrival  at  the  palace, 
Thekelavitaw's  men  searched  every  where  for 
Peter,  but  of  course  could  not  find  him.  They 
then  questioned  the  sentinels,  and  were  told 
that  Peter  had  left  the  palace  with  his  family 
in  a  very  hurried  manner  but  a  very  short  time 
before.     No  one  knew  where  they  had  gone. 

There  was,  of  course,  nothing  now  for  The- 
kelavitaw to  do  but  to  return,  discomfited  and 
alarmed,  to  the  Princess  Sophia,  and  report  the 
failure  of  their  scheme. 

In  the  mean  time  Peter  had  fled  to  the  Mon- 
astery of  the  Trinity,  the  common  refuge  of  the 
family  in  all  cases  of  desperate  danger.  The 
news  of  the  affair  spread  rapidly,  and  produced 
universal  excitement.  Peter,  from  his  retreat 
in  the  monastery,  sent  a  message  to  Sophia. 


' 


46  Peter  the   Great.         [1684. 

Sophia's  pretenses.        The  Guards.         Sophia  attempts  to  secure  them. 

charging  her  with,  having  sent  Thekelavitaw 
and  his  band  to  take  his  life.  Sophia  was 
greatly  alarmed  at  the  turn  which  things  had 
taken.  She,  however,  strenuously  denied  being 
guilty  of  the  charge  which  Peter  made  against 
her.  She  said  that  the  soldiers  under  Theke- 
lavitaw had  only  gone  out  to  Obrogensko  for 
the  purpose  of  relieving. the  guard.  This  no- 
body believed.  The  idea  of  taking  such  a  body 
of  men  a  league  or  more  into  the  country  at 
midnight  for  the  purpose  of  relieving  the  guard 
of  a  country  palace  was  preposterous. 

The  excitement  increased.^  The  leading  no- 
bles of  the  country  began  to  flock  to  the  mon- 
astery to  declare  their  adhesion  to  Peter,  and 
their  determination  to  sustain  and  protect  him. 
Sophia,  at  the  same  time,  did  all  that  she  could 
do  to  rally  her  friends.  Both  sides  endeavored 
to  gain  the  good-will  of  the  Guards.  The  prin- 
cess caused  them  to  be  assembled  before  her 
palace  in  Moscow,  and  there  she  appeared  on  a 
balcony  before  them,  accompanied  by  the  Czar 
John ;  and  the  Czar  made  them  a  speech — one, 
doubtless,  which  Sophia  had  prepared  for  him. 
In  this  speech  John  stated  to  the  Guards  that 
his  brother  Peter  had  retired  to  the  Monastery 
of  the  Trinity,  though  for  what  reason  he  knew 
not.     He  had,  however,  too  much  reason  to 


1684]  The  Princess's  Downfall.  47 

They  adhere  to  the  cause  of  Peter.  Sophia' 3  alarm. 

fear,  he  said,  that  he  was  plotting  some  schemes 
against  the  state. 

"We  have  heard,"  he  added,  "that  he  has 
summoned  you  to  repair  thither  and  attend 
him,  but  we  forbid  your  going  on  pain  of 
death." 

Sophia  then  herself  addressed  the  Guards, 
confirming  what  John  had  said,  and  endeavor- 
ing artfully  to  awaken  an  interest  in  their  minds 
in  her  favor.  The  Guards  listened  in  silence ; 
but  it  seems  that  very  little  effect  was  produced 
upon  them  by  these  harangues,  for  they  imme- 
diately afterward  marched  in  a  body  to  the 
monastery,  and  there  publicly  assured  Peter  of 
their  adhesion  to  his  cause. 

Sophia  was  now  greatly  alarmed.  She  be- 
gan to  fear  that  all  was  lost.  She  determined 
to  send  an  embassage  to  Peter  to  deprecate  his 
displeasure,  and,  if  possible,  effect  a  reconcilia- 
tion. She  employed  on  this  commission  two 
of  her  aunts,  her  father's  sisters,  who  were,  of 
course,  the  aunts  likewise  of  Peter,  and  the 
nearest  family  relatives,  who  were  equally  the 
relatives  of  herself  and  of  him.  These  ladies 
were,  of  course,  princesses  of  very  high  rank, 
and  their  age  and  family  connection  were  such 
as  to  lead  Sophia  to  trust  a  great  deal  to  their 
intercession. 


48  Peter  the  Great.         [1684. 

Her  first  deputation.  Failure  of  the  deputation. 

She  charged  these  ladies  to  assure  Peter  that 
she  was  entirely  innocent  of  the  crime  of  which 
she  was  suspected,  and  that  the  stories  of  her 
having  sent  the  soldiers  to  his  palace  with  any 
evil  design  were  fabricated  by  her  enemies,  who 
wished  to  sow  dissension  between  herself  and 
him.  She  assured  him  that  there  had  been  no 
necessity  at  all  for  his  flight,  and  that  he  might 
now  at  any  time  return  to  Moscow  with  perfect 
safety. 

Peter  received  his  aunts  in  a  very  respectful 
manner,  and  listened  attentively  to  what  they 
had  to  say ;  but,  after  they  had  concluded  their 
address  to  him,  he  assured  them  that  his  retreat 
to  the  monastery  was  not  without  good  cause ; 
and  he  proceeded  to  state  and  explain  all  the 
circumstances  of  the  case,  and  to  show  so  many 
and  such  conclusive  proofs  that  a  conspiracy 
to  destroy  him  had  actually  been  formed,  and 
was  on  the  eve  of  being  executed,  that  the 
princesses  could  no  longer  doubt  that  Sophia 
was  really  guilty.  They  were  overwhelmed 
with  grief  in  coming  to  this  conviction,  and 
they  declared,  with  tears  in  their  eyes,  that  they 
would  not  return  to  Moscow,  but  would  remain 
at  the  monastery  and  share  the  fortunes  of  their 
nephew. 

When  Sophia  learned  what  had  been  the  re- 


1G84.]  The  Princess's  Downfall.  49 

Sophia  appeals  to  the  patriarch.      His  mission  fails.      Sophia's  despair. 

suit  of  her  deputation  she  was  more  alarmed 
than  ever.  After  spending  some  time  in  per- 
plexity and  distress,  she  determined  to  apply  to 
the  patriarch,  who  was  the  head  of  the  Church, 
and,  of  course,  the  highest  ecclesiastical  digni- 
tary in  the  empire.  She  begged  and  implored 
him  to  act  as  mediator  between  her  and  her 
brother,  and  he  was  at  length  so  moved  by  her 
tears  and  entreaties  that  he  consented  to  go. 

This  embassage  was  no  more  successful  than 
the  other.  Peter,  it  seems,  was  provided  with 
proof,  which  he  offered  to  the  patriarch,  not 
only  of  the  reality  of  the  conspiracy  which  had 
been  formed,  but  also  of  the  fact  that,  if  it  had 
been  successful,  the  patriarch  himself  was  to 
have  been  taken  off,  in  order  that  another  ec- 
clesiastic more  devoted  to  Sophia's  interests 
might  be  put  in  his  place.  The  patriarch  was 
astonished  and  shocked  at  this  intelligence,  and 
was  so  much  alarmed  by  it  that  he  did  not  dare 
to  return  to  Sophia  to  make  his  report,  and  de- 
cided, as  the  ladies  had  done  before  him,  to  take 
up  his  abode  with  Peter  in  the  monastery  until 
the  crisis  should  be  passed. 

The  princess  was  now  almost  in  a  state  of 
despair.  Prince  Gralitzin,  it  is  true,  still  remain- 
ed with  her,  and  there  were  some  others  in  the 
palace  who  adhered  to  her  cause.  She  called 
D 


50  Peter  the  Great.        [1684 

Her  final  plans.  She  is  repulsed  from  the  monastery. 

these  few  remaining  friends  together,  and  with 
them  held  a  sorrowful  and  anxious  consultation, 
in  order  to  determine  what  should  now  be  done. 
It  was  resolved  that  Thekelavitaw  and  one  or 
two  others  who  were  deeply  implicated  in  the 
plot  for  the  assassination  of  Peter  should  be 
secured  in  a  place  of  close  concealment  in  the 
palace,  and  then,  that  the  princess  herself,  ac- 
companied by  Gralitzin  and  her  other  leading 
friends,  should  proceed  in  a  body  to  the  Monas- 
tery of  the  Trinity,  and  there  make  a  personal 
appeal  to  Peter,  in  hopes  of  appeasing  him,  and 
saving  themselves,  if  possible,  from  their  im- 
pending fate.  This  plan  they  proceeded  to 
carry  into  effect ;  but  before  Sophia,  and  those 
who  were  with  her,  had  reached  half  way  to  the 
palace,  they  were  met  by  a  nobleman  who  had 
been  sent  from  the  monastery  to  intercept  them, 
and  order  them,  in  Peter's  name,  to  return  to 
Moscow.  If  the  princess  were  to  go  on,  she 
would  not  be  received  at  the  monastery,  the 
messenger  said,  but  would  find  the  gates  closed 
against  her. 

So  Sophia  and  her  train  turned,  and  despair- 
ingly retraced  their  steps  to  Moscow. 

The  next  day  an  officer,  at  the  head  of  a 
body  of  the  Guards  three  hundred  in  number, 
Was  dispatched  from  the  monastery  to  demand 


1684.]  The  Princess's  Downfall.  51 

The  surrender  of  Thekelavitaw  demanded.  He  is  brought  to  triaL 

of  the  Princess  Sophia,  at  her  palace,  that  she 
should  give  up  Thekelavitaw,  in  order  that  he 
might  be  brought  to  trial  on  a  charge  of  trea- 
son. Sophia  was  extremely  unwilling  to  com- 
ply with  this  demand.  She  may  naturally  be 
supposed  to  have  desired  to  save  her  instru- 
ment and  agent  from  suffering  the  penalties  of 
the  crime  which  she  herself  had  planned  and 
had  instigated  him  to  attempt;  but  the  chief 
source  of  her  extreme  reluctance  to  surrender 
the  prisoner  was  her  fear  of  the  revelations 
which  he  would  be  likely  to  make  implicating 
her.  After  hesitating  for  a  time,  being  in  a 
state  during  the  interval  of  great  mental  dis- 
tress and  anguish,  she  concluded  that  she  must 
obey,  and  so  Thekelavitaw  was  brought  out 
from  his  retreat  and  surrendered.  The  soldiers 
immediately  took  him  and  some  other  persons 
who  were  surrendered  with  him,  and,  securing 
them  safely  with  irons,  they  conveyed  them 
rapidly  to  the  monastery. 

Thekelavitaw  was  brought  to  trial  in  the 
great  hall  of  the  monastery,  where  a  court,  con- 
sisting of  the  leading  nobles,  was  organized  to 
hear  his  cause.  He  was  questioned  closely  by 
his  judges  for  a  long  time,  but  his  answers  were 
evasive  and  unsatisfactory,  and  at  length  it  was 
determined  to  put  him  to  torture,  in  order  to 


52  Petee  the  Great.         [1684. 

He  is  put  to  the  torture.  His  confessions.  Value  of  them. 

compel  him  to  confess  his  crime,  and  to  reveal 
the  names  of  his  confederates.  This  was  a  very 
unjust  and  cruel  mode  of  procedure,  but  it  was 
in  accordance  with  the  rude  ideas  which  pre- 
vailed in  those  times. 

The  torture  which  was  applied  to  Thekelav- 
itaw  was  scourging  with  a  knout.  The  knout 
was  a  large  and  strong  whip,  the  lash  of  which 
consists  of  a  tough,  thick  thong  of  leather,  pre- 
pared in  a  particular  way,  so  as  greatly  to  in- 
crease the  intensity  of  the  agony  caused  by  the 
blows  inflicted  with  it.  /'Thekelavitaw  endured 
a  few  strokes  from  this  dreadful  instrument, 
and  then  declared  that  he  was  ready  to  confess 
all ;  so  they  took  him  back  to  prison  and  there 
heard  what  he  had  to  say.  He  made  a  full 
statement  in  respect  to  the  plot.  He  said  that 
the  design  was  to  kill  Peter  himself,  his  moth- 
er, and  several  other  persons,  near  connections 
of  Peter's  branch  of  the  family.  The  Princess 
Sophia  was  the  originator  of  the  plot,  he  said, 
and  he  specified  many  other  persons  who  had 
taken  a  leading  part  in  it. 

These  statements  of  the  unhappy  sufferer 
may  have  been  true  or  they  may  have  been 
false.  It  is  now  well  known  that  no  reliance 
whatever  can  be  placed  upon  testimony  that  is 
extorted  in  this  way,  as  men  under  such  cir- 


1684.]  The  Princess's  Downfall.  53 

Modes  of  torture  applied.  Various  punishments  inflicted. 

cumstances  will  say  any  thing  which,  they  think 
will  be  received  by  their  tormentors,  and  be  the 
means  of  bringing  their  sufferings  to  an  end. 

However  it  may  have  been  in  fact  in  this 
case,  the  testimony  of  Thekelavitaw  was  be- 
lieved. On  the  faith  of  it  many  more  arrests 
were  made,  and  many  other  persons  were  put 
to  the  torture  to  compel  them  to  reveal  addi- 
tional particulars  of  the  plot.  It  is  said  that 
one  of  the  modes  of  torment  of  the  sufferers  in 
these  trials  consisted  in  first  shaving  the  head 
and  tying  it  in  a  fixed  position,  and  then  caus- 
ing boiling  water  to  be  poured,  drop  by  drop, 
upon  it,  which  in  a  very  short  time  produced, 
it  is  said,  an  exquisite  and  dreadful  agony 
which  no  mortal  heroism  could  long  endure. 

After  all  these  extorted  confessions  had  been 
received,  and  the  persons  accused  by  the  wretch- 
ed witnesses  had  been  secured,  the  court  was 
employed  two  days  in  determining  the  relative 
guilt  of  the  different  criminals,  and  in  deciding 
upon  the  punishments.  Some  of  the  prisoners 
were  beheaded ;  others  were  sentenced  to  per- 
petual imprisonment;  others  were  banished. 
The  punishment  of  Prince  Gralitzin  was  banish- 
ment for  life  to  Siberia.  He  was  brought  be- 
fore the  court  to  hear  his  sentence  pronounced 
by  the  judges  in  form.     It  was  to  this  effect, 


54  Peter  the  Great.         [1684. 

Galitzin  is  banished.  His  son  shares  his  fate. 

namely,  "  That  he  was  ordered  to  go  to  Karga, 
a  town  under  the  pole,  there  to  remain,  as  long 
as  he  lived,  in  disgrace  with  his  majesty,  who 
had,  nevertheless,  of  his  great  goodness,  allow- 
ed him  threepence  a  day  for  his  subsistence, 
but  that  his  justice  had  ordained  all  his  goods 
to  be  forfeited  to  his  treasury." 

G-alitzin  had  a  son  who  seems  to  have  been 
implicated  in  some  way  with  his  father  in  the 
conspiracy.  At  any  rate,  he  was  sentenced  to 
share  his  father's  fate.  Whether  the  compan- 
ionship of  his  son  on  the  long  and  gloomy  jour- 
ney was  a  comfort  to  the  prince,  or  whether  it 
only  redoubled  the  bitterness  of  his  calamity 
to  see  his  son  compelled  to  endure  it  too,  it 
would  be  difficult  to  say.  The  female  mem- 
bers of  the  family  were  sent  with  them  too. 

As  soon  as  the  prince  had  been  sent  away, 
officers  were  dispatched  to  take  possession  of 
his  palace,  and  to  make  an  inventory  of  the 
property  contained  in  it.  The  officers  found  a 
vast  amount  of  treasure.  Among  other  things, 
they  discovered  a  strong  box  buried  in  a  vault, 
which  contained  an  immense  sum  of  money. 
There  were  four  hundred  vessels  of  silver  of 
I  great  weight,  and  many  other  rich  and  costly 
articles.  All  these  things  were  confiscated,  and 
the  proceeds  put  into  the  imperial  treasury. 


168^.]  The  Peincess's  Downfall.  55 

Punishment  of  Thekelavitaw.  Decision  in  respect  to  Sophia. 

Thekelavitaw,  the  commander-in-chief  of  the 
Guards,  had  his  head  cut  off.  The  subordinate 
officer  who  had  the  immediate  command  of  the 
detachment  which  marched  out  to  Obrogensko 
was  punished  by  being  first  scourged  with  the 
knout,  then  having  his  tongue  cut  out,  and  then 
being  sent  to  Siberia  in  perpetual  banishment, 
with  an  allowance  for  his  subsistence  of  one 
third  the  pittance  which  had  been  granted  to 
Galitzin.  Some  of  the  private  soldiers  of  the 
detachment  were  also  sentenced  to  have  their 
tongues  cut  out,  and  then  to  be  sent  to  Siberia 
to  earn  their  living  there  by  hunting  sables. 

Peter  was  not  willing  that  the  Princess  So- 
phia, being  his  sister,  should  be  publicly  pun- 
ished or  openly  disgraced  in  any  way,  so  it  was 
decreed  that  she  should  retire  to  a  certain  con- 
vent, situated  in  a  solitary  place  a  little  way 
out  of  town,  where  she  could  be  closely  watch- 
ed and  guarded.  Sophia  was  extremely  un- 
willing to  obey  this  decree,  and  she  would  not 
go  to  the  convent  of  her  own  accord.  The 
commander  of  the  Guards  was  thereupon  di- 
rected to  send  a  body  of  armed  men  to  convey 
her  there,  with  orders  to  take  her  by  force  if 
she  would  not  go  willingly ;  so  Sophia  was 
compelled  to  submit,  and,  when  she  was  lodged 
in  the  convent,  soldiers  were  placed  not  only 


56         t      Peter  the  Great.         [1659, 

Peter's  public  entry  into  Moscow.  lie  gains  sole  power. 

to  keep  sentinel  at  the  doors,  but  also  to  guard 
all  the  avenues  leading  to  the  place,  so  as  ef- 
fectually to  cut  the  poor  prisoner  off  from  all 
possible  communication  with  any  who  might 
be  disposed  to  sympathize  with  her  or  aid  her. 
She  remained  in  this  condition,  a  close  prisoner, 
for  many  years. 

Two  days  after  this — every  thing  connected 
with  the  conspiracy  having  been  settled — it  was 
determined  that  Peter  should  return  to  Moscow. 
He  made  a  grand  triumphant  entry  into  the 
city,  attended  by  an  armed  escort  of  eighteen 
thousand  of  the  Guards.  Peter  himself  rode 
conspicuously  at  the  head  of  the  troops  on 
horseback.  His  wife  and  his  mother  followed 
in  a  coach. 

On  arriving  at  the  royal  palace,  he  was  met 
on  the  staircase  by  his  brother  John,  who  was 
not  supposed  to  have  taken  any  part  in  Sophia's 
conspiracy.  Peter  greeted  his  brother  kindly, 
and  said  he  hoped  that  they  were  friends. 
John  replied  in  the  same  spirit,  and  so  the  two 
brothers  were  reinstated  again  as  joint  posses- 
sors, nominally,  of  the  supreme  power;  but, 
now  that  Sophia  was  removed  out  of  the  way, 
and  all  her  leading  friends  and  partisans  were 
either  beheaded  or  banished,  the  whole  control 
of  the  government  fell,  in  fact,  into  the  hands 
of  Peter  and  of  his  counselors  and  friends. 


1GS9.]  The  Princess's  Downfall.  57 

Character  and  condition  of  John.  Subsequent  history  of  Sophia. 

John,  his  brother  Czar,  was  too  feeble  and 
inefficient  to  take  any  part  whatever  in  the 
management  of  public  affairs.  He  was  melan- 
choly and  dejected  in  spirit,  in  consequence  of 
his  infirmities  and  sufferings,  and  he  spent  most 
of  his  time  in  acts  of  devotion,  according  to  the 
rites  and  usages  of  the  established  church  of 
the  country,  as  the  best  means  within  his  knowl- 
edge of  preparing  himself  for  another  and  hap- 
pier world.  He  died  about  seven  years  after 
this  time. 

The  Princess  Sophia  lived  for  fifteen  years  a 
prisoner.  During  this  period  several  efforts 
were  made  by  those  who  still  adhered  to  her 
cause  to  effect  her  release  and  her  restoration 
to  power,  but  they  were  all  unsuccessful.  She 
remained  in  close  confinement  as  long  as  she 
lived. 


53  Petee    THE    GrREAT.  [1677. 

Troublous  time3  in  the  family.  Peter's  first  governor. 


Chapter  III. 

The  Childhood  and  Youth  of 
Peter. 

WE  must  now  go  back  a  little  in  our  nar- 
rative, in  order  to  give  some  account  of 
the  manner  in  which  the  childhood  and  early 
youth  of  Peter  were  spent,  and  of  the  indications 
which  appeared  in  this  early  period  of  his  life 
to  mark  his  character.  He  was  only  eighteen 
years  of  age  at  the  time  of  his  marriage,  and, 
of  course,  all  those  contests  and  dissensions 
which,  for  so  many  years  after  his  father 
Alexis's  death,  continued  to  distract  the  fam- 
ily, took  place  while  he  was  very  young.  He 
was  only  about  nine  years  old  when  they  be- 
gan, at  the  time  of  the  death  of  his  father. 

The  person  whom  Peter's  father  selected  to 
take  charge  of  his  little  son's  education,  in  the 
first  instance,  was  a  very  accomplished  general 
named  Menesius.  General  Menesius  was  a 
Scotchman  by  birth,  and  he  had  been  well  edu- 
cated in  the  literary  seminaries  of  his  native 
country,  so  that,  besides  his  knowledge  and 
skill  in  every  thing  which  pertained  to  the  art 


1677.]    Childhood  and  Youth.        59 

His  qualifications.  Peter's  earliest  studies. 

of  war,  he  was  well  versed  in  all  the  European 
languages,  and,  having  traveled  extensively  in 
the  different  countries  of  Europe,  he  was  qual- 
ified to  instruct  Peter,  when  he  should  become 
old  enough  to  take  an  interest  in  such  inqui- 
ries, in  the  arts  and  sciences  of  western  Europe, 
and  in  the  character  of  the  civilization  of  the 
various  countries,  and  the  different  degree?  of 
progress  which  they  had  respectively  made. 

At  the  time,  however,  when  Peter  was  put 
under  his  governor's  charge  he  was  only  about 
&ve  years  old,  and,  consequently,  none  but  the 
most  elementary  studies  were  at  that  time  suit- 
ed to  his  years.  Of  course,  it  was  not  the  duty 
of  General  Menesius  to  attend  personally  to  the 
instruction  of  his  little  pupil  in  these  things, 
but  only  to  see  to  it  that  the  proper  teachers 
were  appointed,  and  that  they  attended  to  their 
duties  in  a  faithful  manner. 

Every  thing  went  on  prosperously  and  well 
under  this  arrangement  as  long  as  the  Czar 
Alexis,  Peter's  father,  continued  to  live.  Gen- 
eral Menesius  resided  in  the  palace  with  his 
charge,  and  he  gradually  began  to  form  a  strong 
attachment  to  him.  Indeed,  Peter  was  so  full 
of  life  and  spirit,  and  evinced  so  much  intelli- 
gence in  all  that  he  did  and  said,  and  learned 
what  was  proper  to  be  taught  him  at  that  age 


GO  Petek  the  Great.         [1670. 

His  disposition  and  character.  Sophia's  jealousy  of  him. 

with  so  much  readiness  and  facility,  that  he  was 
a  favorite  with  all  who  knew  him ;  that  is,  with 
all  who  belonged  to  or  were  connected  with 
his  mother's  branch  of  the  family.  "With  those 
who  were  connected  with  the  children  of  Alexis' 
first  wife  he  was  an  object  of  continual  jealousy 
and  suspicion,  and  the  greater  the  proofs  that 
he  g&ve  of  talent  and  capacity,  the  more  jealous 
of  him  these  his  natural  rivals  became. 

At  length,  when  Alexis,  his  father,  died,  and 
his  half-brother  Theodore  succeeded  to  the 
throne,  the  division  between  the  two  branches 
of  the  family  became  more  decided  than  ever ; 
and  when  Sophia  obtained  her  release  from 
the  convent,  and  managed  to  get  the  control 
of  public  affairs,  in  consequence  of  Theodore's 
imbecility,  as  related  in  the  first  chapter,  one 
of  the  first  sources  of  uneasiness  for  her,  in  re- 
spect to  the  continuance  of  her  power,  was  the 
probability  that  Peter  would  grow  up  to  be  a 
talented  and  energetic  young  man,  and  would 
sooner  or  later  take  the  government  into  his 
own  hands.  She  revolved  in  her  mind  many 
plans  for  preventing  this.  The  one  which 
seemed  to  her  most  feasible  at  first  was  to  at- 
tempt to  spoil  the  boy  by  indulgence  and  lux- 
ury. 

She  accordingly,  it  is  said,  attempted  to  in- 


1679.]   Childhood  and  Youth.        61 

Her  plans  for  corrupting  his  morals.  The  governor  is  dismissed. 

duce  Menesius  to  alter  the  arrangements  which 
he  had  made  for  Peter,  so  as  to  release  him 
from  restraint,  and  allow  him  to  do  as  he  pleased. 
Her  plan  was  also  to  supply  him  with  means 
of  pleasure  and  indulgence  very  freely,  think- 
ing that  a  boy  of  his  age  would  not  have  the 
good  sense  or  the  resolution  to  resist  these 
temptations.  Thus  she  thought  that  his  prog- 
ress in  study  would  be  effectually  impeded,  and 
that,  perhaps,  he  would  undermine  his  health 
and  destroy  his  constitution  by  eating  and  drink- 
ing, or  by  other  hurtful  indulgences. 

But  Sophia  found  that  she  could  not  induce 
General  Menesius  to  co-operate  with  her  in  any 
such  plans.  He  had  set  his  heart  on  making 
his  pupil  a  virtuous  and  an  accomplished  man, 
and  he  knew  very  well  that  the  system  of  lax- 
ity and  indulgence  which  Sophia  recommended 
would  end  in  his  ruin.  After  a  considerable 
contest,  Sophia,  finding  that  Menesius  was  in- 
flexible, manoeuvred  to  cause  him  to  be  dismiss- 
ed from  his  office,  and  to  have  another  arrange- 
ment made  for  the  boy,  by  which  she  thought 
her  ends  would  be  attained.  So  Menesius  bade 
his  young  charge  farewell,  not,  however,  with- 
out giving  him,  in  parting,  most  urgent  coun- 
sels to  persevere,  as  he  had  begun,  in  the  faith- 
ful performance  of  his  duly,  to  resist  every 


62  Peter  the  Great.         [1682. 

New  system  adopted.      Sophia's  expectations.      Peter's  fifty  playmates. 

temptation  to  idleness  or  excess,  and  to  devote 
himself,  while  young,  with  patience,  persever- 
ance, and  industry  to  the  work  of  storing  his 
mind  with  useful  knowledge,  and  of  acquiring 
every  possible  art  and  accomplishment  which 
could  be  of  advantage  to  him  when  he  became 
a  man. 

After  General  Menesius  had  been  dismissed, 
Sophia  adopted  an  entirely  new  system  for  the 
management  of  Peter.  Before  this  time  Theo- 
dore had  died,  and  Peter,  in  conjunction  with 
John,  had  been  proclaimed  emperor,  Sophia 
governing  as  regent  in  their  names.  The  prin- 
cess now  made  an  arrangement  for  establishing 
Peter  in  a  household  of  his  own,  at  a  palace 
situated  in  a  small  village  at  some  distance  from 
Moscow,  and  she  appointed  fifty  boys  to  live 
with  him  as  his  playmates  and  amusers.  These 
boys  were  provided  with  every  possible  means 
of  indulgence,  and  were  subject  to  very  little 
restraint.  The  intention  of  Sophia  was  that 
they  should  do  just  as  they  pleased,  and  she 
had  no  doubt  that  they  would  spend  their  time 
in  such  a  manner  that  they  would  all  grow  up 
idle,  vicious,  and  good  for  nothing.  There  was 
even  some  hope  that  Peter  would  impair  his 
health  to  such  an  extent  by  excessive  indul- 
gences as  to  bring  him  to  an  early  grave. 


1685.]   Childhood  and  Youth.        63 

The  plot  does  not  succeed.  Peter  organizes  a  military  school. 

Indeed,  the  plot  was  so  well  contrived  that 
there  are  probably  not  many  boys  who  would 
not,  under  such  circumstances,  have  fallen  into 
the  snare  so  adroitly  laid  for  them  and  been 
ruined ;  but  Beter  escaped  it.  Whether  it  was 
from  the  influence  of  the  counsels  and  instruc- 
tions of  his  former  governor,  or  from  his  own 
native  good  sense,  or  from  both  combined,  he 
resisted  the  temptations  that  were  laid  before 
him,  and,  instead  of  giving  up  his  studies,  and 
spending  his  time  in  indolence  and  vice,  he  im- 
proved such  privileges  as  he  enjoyed  to  the 
best  of  his  ability.  He  even  contrived  to  turn 
the  hours  of  play,  and  the  companions  who  had 
been  given  to  him  as  mere  instruments  of  pleas- 
ure, into  means  of  improvement.  He  caused 
the  boys  to  be  organized  into  a  sort  of  military 
school,  and  learned  with  them  all  the  evolu- 
tions, and  practiced  all  the  discipline  necessary 
in  a  camp.  He  himself  began  at  the  very  be* 
ginning.  He  caused  himself  to  be  taught  to 
drum,  not  merely  as  most  boys  do,  just  to  make 
a  noise  for  his  amusement,  but  regularly  and 
scientifically,  so  as  to  enable  him  to  understand 
and  execute  all  the  beats  and  signals  used  in 
camp  and  on  the  field  of  battle.  He  studied 
fortification,  and  set  the  boys  at  work,  himself 
among  them,  in  constructing  a  battery  in  a  reg- 


64  Peter  the  Great.        [1685. 

Peter  a  practical  mechanic.  His  ideas  and  intentions. 

ular  and  scientific  manner.  He  learned  the 
use  of  tools,  too,  practically,  in  a  shop  which 
had  been  provided  for  the  boys  as  a  place  for 
play;  and  the  wheelbarrow  with  which  he 
worked  in  making  the  fortification  was  one 
which  he  had  constructed  with  his  own  hands. 

He  did  not  assume  any  superiority  over  his 
companions  in  these  exercises,  but  took  his 
place  among  them  as  an  equal,  obeying  the 
commands  which  were  given  to  him,  when  it 
came  to  his  turn  to  serve,  and  taking  his  full 
share  of  all  the  hardest  of  the  work  which  was 
to  be  done. 

Nor  was  this  all  mere  boys'  play,  pursued  for 
a  little  time  as  long  as  the  novelty  lasted,  and 
then  thrown  aside  for  something  more  amusing. 
Peter  knew  that  when  he  became  a  man  he 
would  be  emperor  of  all  Russia,  He  knew 
that  among  the  populations  of  that  immense 
country  there  were  a  great  many  wild  and  tur- 
bulent tribes,  half  savage  in  habits  and  charac- 
ter, that  would  never  be  controlled  but  by  mili- 
tary force,  and  that  the  country,  too,  was  sur- 
rounded by  other  nations  that  would  some- 
times, unless  he  was  well  prepared  for  them, 
assume  a  hostile  attitude  against  his  govern- 
ment, and  perhaps  make  great  aggressions  upon 
his  territories.     He  wished,  therefore,  to  pre- 


1688.]   Childhood  and  Youth.        65 

His  drumming.  His  wheelbarrow.  Progress  of  the  school. 

pare  himself  for  the  emergencies  that  might  in 
future  arise  by  making  himself  thoroughly  ac- 
quainted with  all  the  details  of  the  military 
art.  He  did  not  expect,  it  is  true,  that  he 
should  ever  be  called  upon  to  serve  in  any  of 
his  armies  as  an  actual  drummer,  or  to  wheel 
earth  and  construct  fortifications  with  his  own 
hands,  still  less  to  make  the  wheelbarrows  by 
which  the  work  was  to  be  done;  but  he  was 
aware  that  he  could  superintend  these  things 
far  more  intelligently  and  successfully  if  he 
knew  in  detail  precisely  how  every  thing  ought 
to  be  done,  and  that  was  the  reason  why  he 
took  so  much  pains  to  learn  himself  how  to  do 
them. 

As  he  grew  older  he  contrived  to  introduce 
higher  and  higher  branches  of  military  art  into 
the  school,  and  to  improve  and  perfect  the  or- 
ganization of  it  in  every  way.  After  a  while 
he  adopted  improved  uniforms  and  equipments 
for  the  pupils,  such  as  were  used  at  the  military 
schools  of  the  different  nations  of  Europe;  and 
he  established  professors  of  different  branches 
of  military  science  as  fast  as  he  himself  and  his 
companions  advanced  in  years  and  in  power 
of  appreciating  studies  more  and  more  elevated. 
The  result  was,  that  when,  at  length,  he  was 
eighteen  years  of  age,  and  the  time  arrived  for 
E 


66  Peter  the  Great.        [1688. 

Results  of  Peter's  energy  of  character. 

him  to  leave  the  place,  the  institution  had  be- 
come completely  established  as  a  well-organized 
and  well-appointed  military  school,  and  it  con- 
tinned  in  successful  operation  as  such  for  a  long 
time  afterward. 

It  was  in  a  great  measure  in  consequence  of 
the  energy  and  talent  which  Peter  thus  dis- 
played that  so  many  of  the  leading  nobles  at- 
tached themselves  to  his  cause,  by  which  means 
he  was  finally  enabled  to  depose  Sophia  from 
her  regency,  and  take  the  power  into  his  own 
hands,  even  before  he  was  of  age,  as  related  in 
the  last  chapter. 


1689.]  Le  Fort  and  Menzikoff.     67 

Conditions  of  success  in  life.  The  selection  of  agents. 


Chapter  IY. 
Le  Fort  and  Menzikoff. 

WHATEVER  may  be  a  person's  situation 
in  life,  his  success  in  his  undertakings 
depends  not  more,  after  all,  upon  his  own  per- 
sonal ability  to  do  what  is  required  to  be  done, 
than  it  does  upon  his  sagacity  and  the  sound- 
ness of  his  judgment  in  selecting  the  proper 
persons  to  co-operate  with  him  and  assist  him 
in  doing  it.  *  In  all  great  enterprises  undertaken 
by  men,  it  is  only  a  very  small  part  which  they 
can  execute  with  their  own  hands,  and  multi- 
tudes of  most  excellently  contrived  plans  fail 
for  want  of  wisdom  in  the  choice  of  the  men 
who  are  depended  upon  for  the  accomplish- 
ment of  them. 

This  is  true  in  all  things,  small  as  well  as 
great.  A  man  may  form  a  very  wise  scheme 
for  building  a  house.  He  may  choose  an  ex- 
cellent place  for  the  -location  of  it,  and  draw  up 
a  good  plan,  and  make  ample  arrangements  for 
the  supply  of  funds,  but  if  he  does  not  know 
how  to  choose,  or  where  to  find  good  builders, 
his  scheme  will  come  to  a  miserable  end.     He 


68  Peter  the  Great.        [1689. 

Building  a  house.  Secret  of  success. 

may  choose  builders  that  are  competent  but 
dishonest,  or  they  may  be  honest  but  incom- 
petent, or  they  may  be  subject  to  some  other 
radical  defect;  in  either  of  which  cases  the 
house  will  be  badly  built,  and  the  scheme  will 
be  a  failure. 

Many  men  say,  when  such  a  misfortune  as 
this  happens  to  them,  "Ah!  it  was  not  my 
fault.  It  was  the  fault  of  the  builders;"  to 
which  the  proper  reply  would  be,  "  It  ivas  your 
fault.  You  should  not  have  undertaken  to 
build  a  house  unless,  in  addition  to  being  able 
to  form  the  general  plan  and  arrangements 
wisely,  you  had  also  had  the  sagacity  to  discern 
the  characters  of  the  men  whom  you  were  to 
employ  to  execute  the  work."  This  latter 
quality  is  as  important  to  success  in  all  under- 
takings as  the  former.  Indeed,  it  is  far  more 
important,  for  good  men  may  correct  or  avoid 
the  evils  of  a  bad  plan,  but  a  good  plan  can 
never  afford  security  against  the  evil  action  of 
bad  men. 

The  sovereigns  and  great  military  command- 
ers that  have  acquired  the  highest  celebrity  in 
history  have  always  been  remarkable  for  their 
tact  and  sagacity  in  discovering  and  bringing 
forward  the  right  kind  of  talent  for  the  success- 
ful accomplishment  of  their  various  designs. 


1689.1  Lz   Fort  and  Menzikoff.      69 


Peter's  youth.  Le  Fort  and  Menzikoff. 

When  Peter  first  found  himself  nominally  in 
possession  of  the  supreme  power,  after  the  fall  of 
the  Princess  Sophia,  he  was  very  young,  and  the 
administration  of  the  government  was  really  in 
the  hands  of  different  nobles  and  officers  of 
state,  who  managed  affairs  in  his  name.  From 
time  to  time  there  were  great  dissensions  among 
these  men.  They  formed  themselves  into 
cliques  and  coteries,  each  of  which  was  jealous 
of  the  influence  of  the  others.  As  Peter  grad- 
ually grew  older,  and  felt  stronger  and  stronger 
in  his  position,  he  took  a  greater  part  in  the  di- 
rection and  control  of  the  public  policy,  and 
the  persons  whom  he  first  made  choice  of  to 
aid  him  in  his  plans  were  two  very  able  men, 
whom  he  afterward  raised  to  positions  of  great 
responsibility  and  honor.  These  men  became, 
indeed,  in  the  end,  highly  distinguished  as 
statesmen,  and  were  very  prominent  and  very 
efficient  instruments  in  the  development  and 
realization  of  Peter's  plans.  The  name  of  the 
first  of  these  statesmen  was  Le  Fort ;  that  of 
the  second  was  Menzikoff.  The  story  which 
is  told  by  the  old  historians  of  both  of  these 
men  is  quite  romantic. 

Le  Fort  was  the  son  of  a  merchant  of  Geneva. 
He  had  a  strong  desire  from  his  childhood  to 
be  a  soldier,  but  his  father,  considering  the  hard- 


70  Peter  the  Great.         [1689. 

Merchants  of  Amsterdam.  Le  Fort  in  the  counting-house. 

ships  and  dangers  to  which  a  military  life  would 
expose  him,  preferred  to  make  him  a  merchant, 
and  so  he  provided  him  with  a  place  in  the 
counting-house  of  one  of  the  great  merchants 
of  Amsterdam.  The  city  of  Amsterdam  was 
in  those  da}^s  one  of  the  greatest  and  wealthiest 
marts  of  commerce  in  the  world. 

Yery  many  young  men,  in  being  thus  re- 
strained by  their  fathers  from  pursuing  the  pro- 
fession which  they  themselves  chose,  and  placed, 
instead,  in  a  situation  which  they  did  not  like, 
would  have  gone  to  their  duty  in  a  discontent- 
ed and  sullen  manner,  and  would  have  made 
no  effort  to  succeed  in  the  business  or  to  please 
their  employers ;  but  Le  Fort,  it  seems,  was  a 
boy  of  a  different  mould  from  this.  He  went 
to  his  work  in  the  counting-house  at  Amster- 
dam with  a  good  heart,  and  devoted  himself 
to  his  business  with  so  much  industry  and 
steadiness,  and  evinced  withal  so  much  ami- 
ableness  of  disposition  in  his  intercourse  with 
all  around  him,  that  before  long,  as  the  ac- 
counts say,  the  merchant  "loved  him  as  his 
own  child."  After  some  considerable  time  had 
elapsed,  the  merchant,  who  was  constantly  send- 
ing vessels  to  different  parts  of  the  world,  was 
on  one  occasion  about  dispatching  a  ship  to  Co- 
penhagen, and  Le  Fort  asked  permission  to  go 


1689.]  Le  Fort  and  Menzikoff.      71 

He  goes  to  Copenhagen.  He  becomes  acquainted  with  military  life. 

in  her.  The  merchant  was  not  only  willing 
that  he  should  go,  but  also  gave  him  the  whole 
charge  of  the  cargo,  with  instructions  to  attend 
to  the  sale  of  it,  and  the  remittance  of  the  pro- 
ceeds on  the  arrival  of  the  ship  in  port.  Le 
Fort  accordingly  sailed  in  the  ship,  and  on  his 
arrival  at  Copenhagen  he  transacted  the  busi- 
ness of  selling  the  cargo  and  sending  back  the 
money  so  skillfully  and  well  that  the  merchant 
was  very  well  pleased  with  him. 

Copenhagen  is  the  capital  of  Denmark,  and 
the  Danes  were  at  that  time  quite  a  powerful 
and  warlike  nation.  Le  Fort,  in  walking  about 
the  streets  of  the  town  while  his  ship  was  lying 
there,  often  saw  the  Danish  soldiers  marching 
to  and  fro,  and  performing  their  evolutions,  and 
the  sight  revived  in  his  mind  his  former  inter- 
est in  being  a  soldier.  He  soon  made  acquaint- 
ance with  some  of  the  officers,  andx  in  hearing 
them  talk  of  their  various  adventures,  and  of 
the  details  of  their  mode  of  life,  he  became  very 
eager  to  join  them.  They  liked  Mm,  too,  very 
much.  He  had  made  great  progress  in  learn- 
ing the  different  languages  spoken  in  that  part 
of  the  world,  and  the  officers  found,  moreover, 
that  he  was  very  quick  in  understanding  the 
military  principles  which  they  explained  to 
him,  and  in  learning  evolutions  of  all  kinds. 


72  Peter  the  Great.         [1689. 

The  embassador.  Le  Fort  an  interpreter. 

About  this  time  it  happened  that  an  embas- 
sador was  to  be  sent  from  Denmark  to  Russia, 
and  Le  Fort,  who  had  a  great  inclination  to  see 
the  world  as  well  as  to  be  a  soldier,  was  seized 
with  a  strong  desire  to  accompany  the  expedi- 
tion in  the  embassador's  train.  He  already 
knew  something  of  the  Russian  language,  and 
he  set  himself  at  work  with  all  diligence  to 
study  it  more.  He  also  obtained  recommenda- 
tions from  those  who  had  known  him — proba- 
bly, among  others,  from  the  merchant  in  Am- 
sterdam, and  he  secured  the  influence  in  his  fa- 
vor of  the  officers  in  Copenhagen  with  whom 
he  had  become  acquainted.  When  these  .pre- 
liminary steps  had  been  taken,  he  made  appli- 
cation for  the  post  of  interpreter  to  the  embas- 
sy ;  and  after  a  proper  examination  had  been 
made  in  respect  to  his  character  and  his  quali- 
fications, he  received  the  appointment.  Thus, 
instead  of  going  back  to  Amsterdam  after  his 
cargo  was  sold,  he  went  to  Russia  in  the  suite 
of  the  embassador. 

The  embassador  soon  formed  a  very  strong 
friendship  for  his  young  interpreter,  and  em- 
ployed him  confidentially,  when  he  arrived  in 
Moscow,  in  many  important  services.  The  em- 
bassador himself  soon  acquired  great  influence 
at  Moscow,  and  was  admitted  to  quite  familiar 


1689.]  Le  Fort  and  Menzikoff.      73 

He  attracts  tne  attention  of  the  emperor.  His  judicious  answers. 

intercourse,  not  only  with  the  leading  Russian 
noblehien,  but  also  with  Peter  himself.  On 
one  occasion,  when  Peter  was  dining  at  the 
embassador's — as  it  seems  he  was  sometimes 
accustomed  to  do — he  took  notice  of  Le  Fort, 
who  was  present  as  one  of  the  party,  on  ac- 
count of  his  prepossessing  appearance  and 
agreeable  manners.  He  also  observed  that,  for 
a  foreigner,  he  spoke  the  Russian  language  re- 
markably well.  The  emperor  asked  Le  Fort 
some  questions  concerning  his  origin  and  his- 
tory, and,  being  very  much  pleased  with  his 
answers,  and  with  his  general  air  and  demean- 
or, he  asked  him  whether  he  should  be  willing 
to  enter  into  his  service.  Le  Fort  replied  in  a 
very  respectful  manner,  u  That,  whatever  am- 
bition he  might  have  to  serve  so  great  a  mon- 
arch, yet  the  duty  and  gratitude  which  he  owed 
to  his  present  master,  the  embassador,  would 
not  allow  him  to  promise  any  thing  without 
first  asking  his  consent." 

"  Very  well,"  replied  the  Czar ;  "  /  will  ask 
your  master's  consent." 

"  But  I  hope,"  said  Le  Fort,  "  that  your  maj- 
esty will  make  use  of  some  other  interpreter 
than  myself  in  asking  the  question." 

Peter  was  very  much  pleased  with  both  these 
answers  of  Le  Fort — the  one  showing  his  scru- 


74:  Peter  the   Great.         [1689. 

Gratification  of  the  emperor.  The  emhassaclor's  opinion. 

pulous  fidelity  to  his  engagements  in  not  being 
willing  to  leave  one  service  for  another,  how- 
ever advantageous  to  himself  the  change  might 
be,  until  he  was  honorably  released  by  his  first 
employer,  and  the  other  marking  the  delicacy 
of  mind  which  prompted  him  to  wish  not  to 
take  any  part  in  the  conversation  between  the 
emperor  and  the  embassador  respecting  him- 
self, as  his  office  of  interpreter  would  naturally 
lead  him  to  do,  but  to  prefer  that  the  commu- 
nication should  be  made  through  an  indifferent 
person,  in  order  that  the  embassador  might  be 
perfectly  free  to  express  his  real  opinion  with- 
out any  reserve. 

Accordingly,  the  Czar,  taking  another  inter- 
preter with  him,  went  to  the  embassador  and 
began  to  ask  him  about  Le  Fort. 

"  He  speaks  very  good  Eussian,"  said  Peter. 

"  Yes,  please  your  majesty,"  said  the  embas- 
sador, "  he  has  a  genius  for  learning  any  thing 
that  he  pleases.  When  he  came  to  me  four 
months  ago  he  knew  very  little  of  German,  but 
now  he  speaks  it  very  well.  I  have  two  Ger- 
man interpreters  in  my  train,  and  he  speaks 
the  language  as  well  as  either  of  them.  He 
did  not  know  a  word  of  Eussian  when  he  came 
to  my  country,  but  your  majesty  can  judge 
yourself  how  well  he  speaks  it  now." 


1690.]  Le  Fort  and  Menzikoff.      75 

The  glass  of  wine.  Le  Fort  given  up  to  the  emperor. 

In  the  mean  time,  while  Peter  and  the  em- 
bassador were  talking  thus  about  Le  Fort,  he 
himself  had  withdrawn  to  another  part  of  the 
room.  The  Czar  was  very  much  pleased  with 
the  modesty  of  the  young  gentleman's  behav- 
ior ;  and,  after  finishing  the  conversation  with 
the  embassador,  without,  however,  having  ask- 
ed him  to  release  Le  Fc*t  from  his  service,  he 
returned  to  the  part  of  the  room  where  Le  Fort 
was,  and  presently  asked  him  to  bring  him  a 
glass  of  wine.  He  said  no  more  to  him  at  that 
time  in  respect  to  entering  his  service,  but  Le 
Fort  understood  very  well  from  his.  counte- 
nance, and  from  the  manner  in  which  he  asked 
him  for  the  wine,  that  nothing  had  occurred  in 
his  conversation  with  the  embassador  to  lead 
him  to  change  his  mind. 

The  next  day  Peter,  having  probably  in  the 
mean  time  made  some  farther  inquiries  about 
Le  Fort,  introduced  the  subject  again  in  con- 
versation with  the  embassador.  He  told  the 
embassador  that  he  had  a  desire  to  have  the 
young  man  Le  Fort  about  him,  and  asked  if  he 
should  be  willing  to  part  with  him.  The  em- 
bassador replied  that,  notwithstanding  any  de- 
sire he  might  feel  to  retain  ,«o  agreeable  and 
promising  a  man  in  his  own  service,  still  the 
exchange  ^733  "too  advantageous  to  Le  Fort,  and 


76  Peter  the   Great.         [1690. 

His  appointment  at  court.  His  subsequent  career. 

lie  wished  him  too  well  to  make  any  "objection 
to  it ;  and  besides,  he  added,  he  knew  too  well 
his  duty  to  his  majesty  not  to  consent  readily 
to  any  arrangement  of  that  kind  that  his  maj- 
esty might  desire. 

The  next  day  Peter  sent  for  Le  Fort,  and 
formally  appointed  him  his  first  interpreter. 
The  duties  of  this  office  required  Le  Fort  to  be 
a  great  deal  in  the  emperor's  presence,  and  Pe- 
ter soon  became  extremely  attached  to  him. 
Le  Fort,  although  we  have  called  him  a  young 
man,  was  now  about  thirty -five  years  of  age, 
while  Peter  himself  was  yet  not  twenty.  It 
was  natural,  therefore,  that  Peter  should  soon 
learn  to  place  great  confidence  in  him,  and  oft- 
en look  to  him  for  information,  and  this  the 
more  readily  on  account  of  Le  Fort's  having 
been  brought  up  in  the  heart  of  Europe,  where 
all  the  arts  of  civilization,  both  those  connected 
with  peace  and  war,  were  in  a  much  more  ad- 
vanced state  than  they  were  at  this  time  in 
Eussia. 

Le  Fort  continued  in  the  service  of  the  em- 
peror until  the  day  of  his  death,  which  hap- 
pened about  ten  years  after  this  time ;  and  dur- 
ing this  period  he  rose  to  great  distinction,  and 
exercised  a  very  important  part  in  the  manage- 
ment of  public  affairs,  and  more  particularly  in 


1690.]  Le  Fort  and  Menzikoff.       77 

Uniforms.  Le  Fort' 3  suggestion. 

aiding  Peter  to  understand  and  to  introduce 
into  his  own  dominions  the  arts  and  improve- 
ments of  western  Europe. 

The  first  improvement  which  Le  Fort  was 
the  means  of  introducing  in  the  affairs  of  the 
Czar  related  to  the  dress  and  equipment  of  the 
troops.  The  Guards  had  before  that  time  been 
accustomed  to  wear  an  old-fashioned  Eussian 
uniform,  which  was  far  from  being  convenient. 
The  outside  garment  was  a  sort  of  long  coat  or 
gown,  which  considerably  impeded  the  motion 
of  the  limbs.  One  day,  not  long  after  Le  Fort 
entered  the  service  of  the  emperor,  Peter,  being 
engaged  in  conversation  with  him,  asked  him 
what  he  thought  of  his  soldiers. 

"  The  men  themselves  are  very  well,"  replied 
Le  Fort,  "but  it  seems  to  me  that  the  dress 
which  they  wear  is  not  so  convenient  for  mili- 
tary use  as  the  style  of  dress  now  usually  adopt- 
ed among  the  western  nations." 

Peter  asked  what  this  style  was,  and  Le  Fort 
replied  that  if  his  majesty  would  permit  him  to 
do  so,  he  would  take  measures  for  affording 
him  an  opportunity  to  see. 

Accordingly,  Le  Fort  repaired  immediately 
to  the  tailor  of  the  Danish  embassador.  This 
tailor  the  embassador  had  brought  with  him 
from  Copenhagen,  for  it  was  the  custom  in 


78  Peter  the  Great.         [1690. 

An  embassador's  train.  Surprise  and  pleasure  of  the  Czar. 

those  days  for  personages  of  high  rank  and 
station,  like  the  embassador,  to  take  with  them, 
in  their  train,  persons  of  all  the  trades  and  pro* 
fessions  which  they  might  require,  so  that, 
wherever  they  might  be,,  they  could  have  the 
means  of  supplying  all  their  wants  within 
themselves,  and  without  at  all  depending  upon 
the  people  whom  they  visited.  Le  Fort  em- 
ployed the  tailor  to  make  him  two  military 
suits,  in  the  style  worn  by  the  royal  guards  at 
Copenhagen — one  for  an  officer,  and  another 
for  a  soldier  of  the  ranks.  The  tailor  finished 
the  first  suit  in  two  days.  Le  Port  put  the 
dress  on,  and  in  the  morning,  at  the  time  when, 
according  to  his  usual  custom,  he  was  to  wait 
upon  the  emperor  in  his  chamber,  he  went  in 
wearing  the  new  uniform. 

The  Czar  was  surprised  at  the  unexpected 
spectacle.  At  first  he  did  not  know  Le  Fort  in 
his  new  garb ;  and  when  at  length  he  recog- 
nized him,  and  began  to  understand  the  case, 
he  was  exceedingly  pleased.  He  examined  the 
uniform  in  every  part,  and  praised  not  only  the 
dress  itself,  but  also  Le  Fort's  ingenuity  and 
diligence  in  procuring  him  so  good  an  oppor- 
tunity to  know  what  the  military  style  of  the 
western  nations  really  was. 

Soon  after  this  Le  Fort  appeared  again  in  the 


1690.]  Le  Fort  and  Menzikoff.       79 

Le  Fort  undertakes  a  commission.  Making  of  the  uniforms. 

emperor's  presence  wearing  the  uniform  of  a 
common  soldier.  The  emperor  examined  this 
dress  too,  and  saw  the  superiority  of  it  in  re- 
spect to  its  convenience,  and  its  adaptedness  to 
the  wants  and  emergencies  of  military  life.  He 
said  at  once  that  he  should  like  to  have  a  com' 
pany  of  guards  dressed  and  equipped  in  that 
manner,  and  should  be  also  very  much  pleased 
to  have  them  disciplined  and  drilled  according 
to  the  western  style.  Le  Fort  said  that  if  his 
majesty  was  pleased  to  intrust  him  with  the 
commission,  he  would  endeavor  to  organize 
such  a  company. 

The  emperor  requested  him  to  do  so,  and  Le 
Fort  immediately  undertook  the  task.  He  went 
about  Moscow  to  all  the  different  merchants  to 
procure  the  materials  necessary — for  many  of 
these  materials  were  such  as  were  not  much  in 
use  in  Moscow,  and  so  it  was  not  easy  to  pro- 
cure them  in  sufficient  quantities  to  make  the 
number  of  suits  that  Le  Fort  required.  He  also 
sought  out  all  the  tailors  that  he  could  find  at 
the  houses  of  the  different  embassadors,  or  of 
the  great  merchants  who  came  from  western 
"Europe,  and  were  consequently  acquainted  with 
the  mode  of  cutting  and  making  the  dresses  in 
the  proper  manner.  Of  course,  a  considerable 
number  of  tailors  would  be  necessary  to  make 


80  Peter  the  Great.        [1690. 

He  enlists  a  company.  The  company  appears  before  the  emperor. 

up  so  many  uniforms  in  the  short  space  of  time 
which  Le  Fort  wished  to  allot  to  the  work. 

Le  Fort  then  went  about  among  the  strangers 
and  foreigners  at  Moscow,  both  those  connected 
with  the  embassadors  and  others,  to  find  men 
that  were  in  some  degree  acquainted  with  the 
drill  and  tactics  of  the  western  armies,  who 
were  willing  to  serve  in  the  company  that  he 
was  about  to  organize.  He  soon  made  up  a 
company  of  fifty  men.  When  this  company 
was  completed,  and  clothed  in  the  new  uniform, 
and  had  been  properly  drilled,  Le  Fort  put 
himself  at  the  head  of  them  one  morning,  and 
marched  them,  with  drums  beating  and  colors 
flying,  before  the  palace  gate.  The  Czar  came 
to  the  window  to  see  them  as  they  passed.  He 
was  much  surprised  at  the  spectacle,  and  very 
much  pleased.  He  came  down  to  look  at  the 
men  more  closely ;  he  stood  by  while  they  went 
through  the  exercises  in  which  Le  Fort  had 
drilled  them.  The  emperor  was  so  much 
pleased  that  he  said  he  would  join  the  company 
himself.  He  wished  to  learn  to  perform  the 
exercise  personally,  so  as  to  know  in  a  practical 
manner  precisely  how  others  ought  to  perform 
it.  He  accordingly  caused  a  dress  to  be  made 
for  himself,  and  he  took  his  place  afterward  in 
the  ranks  as  a  common  soldier,  and  was  drilled 
with  the  rest  in  all  the  exercises. 


1690.]  L::  Fort  and  Menzikoff.       81 

The  result.  New  improvements  proposed.  ■  Changes. 

From  this  beginning  the  change  went  on  un- 
til the  style  of  dress  and  the  system  of  tactics 
for  the  whole  imperial  army  was  reformed  by 
the  introduction  of  the  compact  and  scientific 
system  of  western  Europe,  in  the  place  of  the 
old-fashioned  and  cumbrous  usages  which  had 
previously  prevailed. 

The  emperor  having  experienced  the  im- 
mense advantages  which  resulted  from  the 
adoption  of  western  improvements  in  his  army, 
wished  now  to  make  an  experiment  of  introduc- 
ing, in  the  same  way,  the  elements  of  western 
civilization  into  the  ordinary  branches  of  indus- 
try and  art.  He  proposed  to  Le  Fort  to  make 
arrangements  for  bringing  into  the  country  a 
great  number  of  mechanics  and  artisans  from 
Denmark,  Germany,  France,  and  other  Euro- 
pean countries,  in  order  that  their  improved 
methods  and  processes  might  be  introduced 
into  Russia.  Le  Fort  readily  entered  into  this 
proposal,  but  he  explained  to  the  emperor  that, 
in  order  to  render  such  a  measure  successful  on 
the  scale  necessary  for  the  accomplishment  of 
any  important  good,  it  would  be  first  requisite 
to  make  some  considerable  changes  in  the  gen- 
eral laws  of  the  land,  especially  in  relation  to 
intercourse  with  foreign  nations.  On  his  mak- 
ing known  fully  and  in  detail  what  these 
F 


82  Peter  the  Great.         [1690. 

Remodeling  of  the  tariff.  Effects  of  the  change.  The  finances. 

changes  would  be,  the  emperor  readily  acceded 
to  them,  and  the  proposed  modifications  of  the 
laws  were  made.  The  tariff  of  duties  on  the 
products  and  manufactures  of  foreign  countries 
was  greatly  reduced.  This  produced  %a  two- 
fold effect. 

In  the  first  place,  it  greatly  increased  the  im- 
portations of  goods  from  foreign  countries,  and 
thus  promoted  the  intercourse  of  the  Russians 
with  foreign  merchants,  manufacturers,  and  art- 
isans, and  gradually  accustomed  the  people  to 
a  better  style  of  living,  and  to  improved  fash- 
ions in  dress,  furniture,  and  equipage,  and  thus 
prepared  the  country  to  furnish  an  extensive 
market  for  the  encouragement  of  Russian  arts 
and  manufactures  as  fast  as  they  could  be  in- 
troduced. 

In  the  second  place,  the  new  system  greatly 
increased  the  revenues  of  the  empire.  It  is 
true  that  the  tariff  was  reduced,  so  that  the  ar- 
ticles that  were  imported  paid  only  about  half 
as  much  in  proportion  after  the  change  as  be- 
fore. But  then  the  new  laws  increased  the  im- 
portations so  much,  that  the  loss  was  very  much 
more  than  made  up  to  the  treasury,  and  the 
emperor  found  in  a  very  short  time  that  the 
state  of  his  finances  was  greatly  improved. 
This  enabled  him  to  take  measures  for  intro- 


1690.]  Le  Fort  and  Menzikoff.      83 

4 

Carpenters  and  masons  brought  in.  New  palace. 

ducing  into  the  country  great  numbers  of  for- 
eign manufacturers  and  artisans  from  Germany, 
France,  Scotland,  and  other  countries  of  west- 
ern Europe.  These  men  were  brought  into  the 
country  by  the  emperor,  and  sustained  there 
at  the  public  expense,  until  they  had  become 
so  far  established  in  their  several  professions 
and  trades  that  they  could  maintain  themselves. 
Among  others,  he  brought  in  a  great  many 
carpenters  and  masons  to  teach  the  Russians  to 
build  better  habitations  than  those  which  they 
had  been  accustomed  to  content  themselves 
with,  which  were,  in  general,  wooden  huts  of 
very  rude  and  inconvenient  construction.  One 
of  the  first  undertakings  in  which  the  masons 
were  employed  was  the  building  of  a  handsome 
palace  of  hewn  stone  in  Moscow  for  the  emper- 
or himself,  the  first  edifice  of  that  kind  which 
had  ever  been  built  in  that  city.  The  sight  of 
a  palace  formed  of  so  elegant  and  durable  a 
material  excited  the  emulation  of  all  the  wealthy 
noblemen,  so  that,  as  soon  as  the  masons  were 
released  from  their  engagement  with  the  em- 
peror, they  found  plenty  of  employment  in 
building  new  houses  and  palaces  for  these  no- 
blemen. 

These  and  a  great  many  other  similar  meas- 
ures were  devised  by  Le  Fort  during  the  time 


84:  Peter  the  Great.         [1690. 

Le  Fort's  increasing  influence.  His  generosity. 

that  he  continued  in  the  service  of  the  Czar, 
and  the  success  which  attended  all  his  plans 
and  proposals  gave  him,  in  the  end,  great  influ- 
ence, and  was  the  means  of  acquiring  for  him 
great  credit  and  renown.  And  yet  he  was  so 
discreet  and  unpretending  in  his  manners  and 
demeanor,  if  the  accounts  which  have  come 
down  to  us  respecting  him  are  correct,  that  the 
high  favor  in  which  he  was  held  by  the  emper- 
or did  not  awaken  in  the  hearts  of  the  native 
nobles  of  the  land  any  considerable  degree  of 
that  jealousy  and  ill-will  which  they  might 
have  been  expected  to  excite.  Le  Fort  was  of 
a  very  self-sacrificing  and  disinterested  disposi- 
tion. He  was  generous  in  his  dealings  with 
all,  and  he  often  exerted  the  ascendency  which 
he  had  acquired  over  the  mind  of  the  emperor 
to  save  other  officers  from  undeserved  or  ex- 
cessive punishment  when  they  displeased  their 
august  master;  for  it  must  be  confessed  that 
Peter,  notwithstanding  all  the  excellences  of 
his  character,  had  the  reputation  at  this  period 
of  his  life  of  being  hasty  and  passionate.  He 
was  very  impatient  of  contradiction,  and  he 
could  not  tolerate  any  species  of  opposition  to 
his  wishes.  Being  possessed  himself  of  great 
decision  of  character,  and  delighting,  as  he  did, 
in  promptness  and  energy  of  action,  he  lost  all 


1690.]  Le  Fort  and  Mexzikoff.       85 

Peter's  violent  temper.  Le  Fort  an  intercessor. 

patience  sometimes,  when  annoyed  by  the  de- 
lays, or  the  hesitation,  or  the  inefficiency  of 
others,  who  were  not  so  richly  endowed  by  na- 
ture as  himself.  In  these  cases  he  was  often 
unreasonable,  and  sometimes  violent ;  and  he 
would  in  many  instances  have  acted  in  an  un- 
generous and  cruel  manner  if  Le  Fort  had  not  al- 
ways been  at  hand  to  restrain  and  appease  him. 
Le  Fort  always  acted  as  intercessor  in  cases 
of  difficulty  of  this  sort;  so  that  the  Russian 
noblemen,  or  boyars  as  they  were  called,  in  the 
end  looked  upon  him  as  their  father.  It  is  said 
that  he  actually  saved  the  lives  of  great  num.-* 
bers  of  them,  whom  Peter,  without  his  interces- 
sion, would  have  sentenced  to  death.  Others 
he  saved  from  the  knout,  and  others  from  ban- 
ishment. At  one  time,  when  the  emperor,  in  a 
passion,  was  going  to  cause  one  of  his  officers  to 
be  scourged,  although,  as  Le  Fort  thought,  he 
had  been  guilty  of  no  wrong  which  could  de- 
serve such  a  punishment,  Le  Fort,  after  all  oth- 
er means  had  failed,  bared  his  own  breast  and 
shoulders,  and  bade  the  angry  emperor  to  strike 
or  cut  there  if  he  would,  but  to  spare  the  inno- 
cent person.  The  Czar  was  entirely  overcome 
by  this  noble  generosity,  and,  clasping  Le  Fort 
in  his  arms,  thanked  him  for  his  interposition, 
at  the  same  time  allowing  the  trembling  pris- 


86               P 

ETER 

THE 

G 

HE 

AT. 

[1690. 

Prince  Menzikoff. 

His  e 

arly  history. 

oner  to  depart  in  peace,  with  his  heart  full  of 
gratitude  toward  the  friend  who  had  so  nobly 
saved  him. 

Another  of  the'  chief  officers  in  Peter's  serv- 
ice during  the  early  part  of  his  reign  was  the 
Prince  Menzikoff.  His  origin  was  very  hum- 
ble. His  Christian  name  was  Alexander,  and 
his  father  was  a  laboring  man  in  the  service  of 
a  monastery  on  the  banks  of  the  Volga.  The 
monasteries  of  those  times  were  endowed  with 
large  tracts  of  valuable  land,  which  were  culti- 
vated by  servants  or  vassals,  and  from  the  pro- 
ceeds of  this  cultivation  the  monks  were  sup- 
ported, and  the  monastery  buildings  kept  in  re- 
pair or  enlarged. 

Alexander  spent  the  early  years  of  his  life  in 
working  with  his  father  on  the  monastery  lancls ; 
but,  being  a  lad  of  great  spirit  and  energy,  he 
gradually  became  dissatisfied  with  this  mode  of 
life ;  for  the  peasants  of  those  days,  such  as  his 
father,  who  tilled  the  lands  of  the  nobles  or  of 
the  monks,  were  little  better  than  slaves.  Al- 
exander, then,  when  he  arrived  at  the  age  of 
thirteen  or  fourteen,  finding  his  situation  and 
prospects  at  home  very  gloomy  and  discourag- 
ing, concluded  to  go  out  into  the  world  and 
seek  his  fortune. 

So  he  left  his  father's  hut  and  set  out  for  Mos' 


1690.]  Le  Fort  and  Menzieoff.      SO 

He  sets  off  to  seek  his  fortune.  His  plc3  and  cakes. 

cow.  After  meeting  with  various  adventures 
on  the  way  and  in  the  city,  he  finally  found  a 
place  in  a  pastry-cook's  shop ;  but,  instead  of 
being  employed  in  making  and  baking  the  pies 
and  tarts,  he  was  sent  out  into  the  streets  to  sell 
them.  In  order  to  attract  customers  to  his  mer- 
chandise, he  used  to  sing  songs  and  tell  stories 
in  the  streets.  Indeed,  it  was  the  talent  which 
he  evinced  in  these  arts,  doubtless,  which  led 
his  master  to  employ, him  in  this  way,  instead 
of  keeping  him  at  work  at  home  in  the  baking. 
The  story  which  is  told  of  the  manner  in 
which  the  emperor's  attention  was  first  attract- 
ed to  young  MenzikofT  is  very  curious,  but,  as 
is  the  case  with  all  other  such  personal  anec- 
dotes related  of  great  sovereigns,  it  is  very 
doubtful  how  far  it  is  to  be  believed.  It  is  said 
that  Peter,  passing. along  the  street  one*  day, 
stopped  to  listen  to  MenzikofT  as  he  was  sing- 
ing a  song  or  telling  a  story  to  a  crowd  of  list- 
eners. He  was  much  diverted  by  one  of  the 
songs  that  he  heard,  and  at  the  close  of  it  he 
spoke  to  the  boy,  and  finally  asked  him  what 
he  would  take  for  his  whole  stock  of  cakes  and 
pies,  basket  and  all.  The  boy  named  the  sum 
for  which  he  would  sell  all  the  cakes  and  pies, 
but  as  for  the  basket  he  said  that  belonged  to 
his  master,  and  he  had  no  power  to  sell  it. 


90  Peter  the  Great.         [1690. 

Negotiation  with  the  emperor.  Menzikoff  in  Le  Fort's  company. 

"  Still,"  he  added,  "  every  thing  belongs  to 
your  majesty,  and  your  majesty  has,  therefore, 
only  to  give  me  the  command,  and  I  shall  de- 
liver it  up  to  you." 

This  reply  pleased  the  Czar  so  much  that  he 
sent  for  the  boy  to  come  to  him,  and  on  con- 
versing with  him  farther,  and  after  making  ad- 
ditional inquiries  respecting  him,  he  was  so 
well  satisfied  that  he  took  him  at  once  into  his 
service. 

All  this  took  place  before  Le  Fort's  plan  was 
formed  for  organizing  a  company  to  exhibit  to 
the  emperor  the  style  of  uniform  and  the  sys- 
tem of  military  discipline  adopted  in  western 
Europe,  as  has  already  been  described.  Men- 
zikoff joined  this  company,  and  he  took  so 
much  interest  in  the  exercises  and  evolutions, 
and  evinced  so  great  a  degree  of  intelligence, 
and  so  much  readiness  in  comprehending  and 
in  practicing  the  various  manoeuvres,  that  he 
attracted  Le  Fort's  special  attention.  He  was 
soon  promoted  to  office  in  the  company,  and 
ultimately  he  became  Le  Fort's  principal  co-ope- 
rator in  his  various  measures  and  plans.  From 
this  he  rose  by  degrees,  until  in  process  of  time 
he  became  one  of  the  most  distinguished  gen- 
erals in  Peter's  army,  and  took  a  very  import- 
ant part  in  some  of  his  most  celebrated  cam- 
paign! s. 


1691.]  Le  Fort  and  Menzikoff.      91 

Menzikoff  s  real  character.  Quarrel  between  Peter  and  his  wife. 

Iii  reading  stories  like  these,  we  are  naturally 
led  to  feel  a  strong  interest  in  the  persons  who 
are  the  subjects  of  them,  and  we  sometimes  in- 
sensibly form  opinions  of  their  characters  which 
are  far  too  favorable.  This  Menzikoff,  for  ex- 
ample, notwithstanding  the  enterprising  spirit 
which  he  displayed  in  his  boyhood,  in  setting 
off  alone  to  Moscow  to  seek  his  fortune,  and 
his  talent  for  telling  stories  and  singing  songs, 
and  the  interest  which  he  felt,  and  the  success 
that  he  met  with,  in  learning  Le  Fort's  military 
manoeuvres,  and  the  great  distinction  which  he 
subsequently  acquired  as  a  military  command- 
er, may  have  been,  after  all,  in  relation  to  any 
just  and  proper  standards  of  moral  duty,  a  very 
bad  man.  Indeed,  there  is  much  reason  to  sup- 
pose that  he  was  so.  At  all  events,  he  became 
subsequently  implicated  in  a  dreadful  quarrel 
which  took  place  between  Peter  and  his  wife, 
under  circumstances  which  appear  very  much 
against  him.  This  quarrel  occurred  after  Peter 
had  been  married  only  about  two  years,  and 
when  he  was  yet  not  quite  twenty  years  old. 
As  usual  in  such  cases,  very  different  stories 
are  told  by  the  friends  respectively  of  the  hus- 
band and  the  wife.  On  the  part  of  the  empress 
it  was  said  that  the  difficulty  arose  from  Peter's 
having  been  drawn  away  into  bad  company, 


£2  Peter  the  Great.         [1691. 

Cause  of  the  quarrel.  Ottokesa's  cruel  fate. 

and  especially  the  company  of  bad  women, 
through  the  instrumentality  of  Menzikoff  when 
he  first  came  into  Peter's  service.  Menzikoff 
was  a  dissolute  young  man,  it  was  said,  while 
he  was  in  the  service  of  the  pastry-cook,  and 
was  accustomed  to  frequent  the  haunts  of  the 
vicious  and  depraved  about  the  town;  and  after 
he  entered  into  Peter's  service,  Peter  himself 
began  to  go  with  him  to  these  places,  disguised, 
of  course,  so  as  not  to  be  known.  This  troubled 
Ottokesa,  and  made  her  jealous ;  and  when  she 
remonstrated  with  her  husband  he  was  angry, 
and  by  way  of  recrimination  accused  her  of  be- 
ing unfaithful  to  him.  Menzikoff  too  was  nat- 
urally filled  with  resentment  at  the  empress's 
accusations  against  him,  and  he  took  Peter's 
part  against  his  wife.  Whatever  may  have 
been  the  truth  in  regard  to  the  grounds  of  the 
complaints  made  by  the  parties  against  each 
other,  the  power  was  on  Peter's  side.  He  re- 
pudiated his  wife,  and  then  shut  her  up  in  a 
place  of  seclusion,  where '  he  kept  her  confined 
all  the  remainder  of  her  days. 

Besides  the  unfavorable  inferences  which  we 
might  justly  draw  from  this  case,  there  are  un- 
fortunately other  indications  that  Peter,  not- 
withstanding the  many  and  great  excellences 
of  his  character,  was  at  this  period  of  his  life 


1691.]  Le  Fort  and  Menzikoff.       93 

Grave  faults  in  Peter's  character. 


violent  and  passionate  in  temper,  very  impa-% 
tient  of  contradiction  or  opposition,  and  often 
unreasonable  and  unjust  in  his  treatment  of 
those  who  for  any  reason  became  the  objects  of 
his  suspicion  or  dislike.  Various  incidents  and 
occurrences  illustrating  these  traits  in  his  char- 
acter will  appear  in  the  subsequent  chapters  of 
his  history. 


94  Peter  the  Great.        [1691. 

Peter's  unlimited  power.  Extent  of  his  dominions.  Character. 


Chapter  "V. 
Commencement  of  the  Eeign. 

PETEE  was  now  not  far  from  twenty  years 
of  age,  and  lie  was  in  full  possession  of 
power  as  vast,  perhaps — if  we  consider  both 
the  extent  of  it  and  its  absoluteness — as  was 
ever  claimed  by  any  European  sovereign. 
There  was  no  written  constitution  to  limit  his 
prerogatives,  and  no  Legislature  or  Parliament 
to  control  him  by  laws.  In  a  certain  sense,  as 
Alexander  Menzikoff  said  when  selling  his 
cakes,  every  thing  belonged  to  him.  His  word 
was  law.  Life  and  death  hung  upon  his  de- 
cree. His  dominions  extended  so  far  that,  on 
an  occasion  when  he  wished  to  send  an  embas- 
sador to  one  of  his  neighbors — the  Emperor  of 
China — it  took  the  messenger  more  than  eight- 
een months  of  constant  and  diligent  traveling  to 
go  from  the  capital  to  the  frontier. 

Such  was  Peter's  position.  As  to  character, 
he  was  talented,  ambitious,  far-seeing,  and  res- 
olute ;  but  he  was  also  violent  in  temper,  mer- 
ciless and  implacable  toward  his  enemies,  and 
possessed  of  an  indomitable  will. 


1691.]  Commencement  of  Keign.     95 

His  wishes  in  respect  to  his  dominions.  Embassy  to  China. 

He  began  immediately  to  feel  a  strong  inter- 
est in  the  improvement  of  his  empire,  in  order 
to  increase  his  own  power  and  grandeur  as  the 
monarch  of  it,  just  as  a  private  citizen  might 
wish  to  improve  his  estate  in  order  to  increase 
his  wealth  and  importance  as  the  owner  of  it. 
He  sent  the  embassador  above  referred  to  to 
China  in  order  to  make  arrangements  for  in- 
creasing and  improving  the  trade  between  the 
two  countries.  This  mission  was  arranged  in 
a  very  imposing  manner.  The  embassador  was 
attended  with  a  train  of  twenty-one  persons, 
who  went  with  him  in  the  capacity  of  secreta- 
ries, interpreters,  legal  councilors,  and  the  like, 
besides  a  large  number  of  servants  and  follow- 
ers to  wait  upon  the  gentlemen  of  the  party, 
and  to  convey  and  take  care  of  the  baggage. 
The  baggage  was  borne  in  a  train  of  wagons 
which  followed  the  carriages  of  the  embassador 
and  his  suite,  so  that  the  expedition  moved 
through  the  country  quite  like  a  little  army  on 
a  march. 

It  was  nearly  three  years  before  the  embas- 
sage returned.  The  measure,  however,  was 
eminently  successful.  It  placed  the  relations 
of  the  two  empires  on  a  very  satisfactory  foot- 
ing. 

The  dominions  of  the  Czar  extended  then,  as 


96  Peter  the  Great.        [1691. 

Siberia.  Inhospitable  climate.  The  exiles. 

now,  through  all  the  northern  portions  of  Eu- 
rope and  Asia,  to  the  shores  of  the  Icy  Sea. 
A  very  important  part  of  this  region  is  the  fa- 
mous Siberia.  The  land  here  is  not  of  much 
value  for  cultivation,  on  account  of  the  long 
and  dreary  winters  and  the  consequent  short-, 
ness  of  the  summer  season.  But  this  very 
coldness  of  the  climate  causes  it  to  produce  a 
great  number  of  fine  far-bearing  animals,  such 
as  the  sable,  the  mink,  the  ermine,  and  the  ot- 
ter ;  for  nature  has  so  arranged  it  that,  the  cold- 
er any  climate  is,  the  finer  and  the  warmer  is 
the  fur  which  grows  upon  the  animals  that  live 
there.  * 

The  inhabitants  of  Siberia  are  employed, 
therefore,  chiefly  in  hunting  wild  animals  for 
their  flesh  or  their  fur,  and  in  working  the 
mines ;  and,  from  time  immemorial,  it  has  been 
the  custom  to  send  criminals  there  in  banish- 
ment, and  compel  them  to  spend  the  remainder 
of  their  lives  in  these  toilsome  and  dangerous 
occupations.  Of  course,  the  cold,  the  expo- 
sure, and  the  fatigue,  joined  to  the  mental  dis- 
tress and  suffering  which  the  thought  of  their 
hard  fate  and  the  recollections  of  home  must 
occasion,  soon  bring  fer  the  greater  proportion 
of  these  unhappy  outcasts  to  the  grave. 

Peter  interested  himself  very  much  in  efforts 


1691.]  Commencement  of  Keign.     97 

Western  civilization.  Ship-building.  The  Dutch  ship-yards. 

to  open  communications  with  these  retired  and 
almost  inaccessible  regions,  and  to  improve  and 
extend  the  working  of  the  mines.  But  his 
thoughts  were  chiefly  occupied  with  the  condi- 
tion of  the  European  portion  of  his  dominions, 
and  with  schemes  for  introducing  more  and 
more  fully  the  arts  and  improvements  of  west- 
ern Europe  among  his  people.  He  was  ready 
to  seize  upon  every  occasion  which  could  fur- 
nish any  hint  or  suggestion  to  tins  end. 

The  manner  in  which  his  attention  was  first 
turned  to  the  subject  of  ship-building  illustra- 
ted this.  In  those  days  Holland  was  the  great 
centre  of  commerce  and  navigation  for  the 
whole  world,  and  the  art  of  ship-building  had 
made  more  progress  in  that  nation  than  in  any 
other.  The  Dutch  held  colonies  in  every  quar- 
ter of  the  globe.  Their  men-of-war  and  their 
fleets  of  merchantmen  penetrated  to  every  sea, 
and  their  naval  commanders  were  universally 
renowned  for  their  enterprise,  their  bravery, 
and  their  nautical  skill. 

The  Dutch  not  only  built  ships  for  them- 
selves, but  orders  were  sent  to  their  ship-yards 
irom  all  parts  of  the  world,  inasmuch  as  in 
these  yards  all  sorts  of  vessels,  whether  for 
war,  commerce,  or  pleasure,  could  be  built  bet- 
ter and  cheaper  than  in  any  other  place. 
G 


98  Peter  the  Great.         [1691. 

Saardam.  The  barge  at  the  country  palace. 

One  of  the  chief  centres  in  which  these  ship 
and  boat  building  operations  were  carried  on 
was  the  town  of  Saardam.  This  town  lies 
near  Amsterdam,  the  great  commercial  capital 
of  the  country.  It  extends  for  a  mile  or  two 
along  the  banks  of  a  deep  and  still  river,  which 
furnish  most  complete  and  extensive  facilities 
for  the  docks  and  ship-yards. 

Now  it  happened  that,  one  day  when  Peter 
was  with  Le  Fort  at  one  of  his  country  palaces 
where  there  was  a  little  lake,  and  a  canal  con- 
nected with  it,  which  had  been  made  for  pleas- 
ure-sailing on  the  grounds,  his  attention  was 
attracted  to  the  form  and  construction  of  a 
yacht  which  was  lying  there.  This  yacht  hav- 
ing been  sent  for  from  Holland  at  the  time 
when  the  palace  grounds  were  laid  out,  the  em- 
peror fell  into  conversation  with  Le  Fort  in 
respect  to  it,  and  this  led  to  the  subject  of 
ships  and  ship-building  in  general.  Le  Fort ' 
represented  so  strongly  to  his  master  the  ad- 
vantages which  Holland  and  the  other  mari- 
time powers  of  Europe  derived  from  their  ships 
of  war,  that  Peter  began  immediately  to  feel  a 
strong  desire  to  possess  a  navy  himself.  There^ 
were,  of  course,  great  difficulties  in  the  way.^ 
Eussia  was  almost  entirely  an  inland  country. 
There  were  no  good  sea-ports,  and  Moscow,  the 


1694.]  Commencement  of  Keign.    99 

The  emperor's  first  vessels.  Sham-fight3. 

capital,  was  situated  very  far  in  the  interior. 
Then,  besides,  Peter  not  only  had  no  ships,  but 
there  were  no  mechanics  or  artisans  in  Eussia 
that  knew  how  to  build  them. 

Le  Fort,  however,  when  he  perceived  how 
deep  was  the  interest  which  Peter  felt  in  the 
subject,  made  inquiries,  and  at  length  succeed- 
ed in  finding  among  the  Dutch  merchants  that 
were  in  Moscow  the  means  of  procuring  some 
ship-builders  to  build  him  several  small  ves- 
sels, which,  when  they  were  completed,  were 
launched  upon  a  lake  not  far  from  the  city. 
Afterward  other  vessels  were  built  in  the  same 
place,  in  the  form  of  frigates ;  and  these,  when 
they  were  launched,  were  properly  equipped 
and  armed,  under  Le  Fort's  direction,  and  the 
emperor  took  great  interest  in  sailing  about  in 
them  on  the  lake,  in  learning  personally  all  the 
evolutions  necessary  for  the  management  of 
them,  and  in  performing  sham-fights  by  set- 
ting one  of  them  against  another.  He  took 
command  of  one  of  the  vessels  as  captain,  and 
thenceforward  assumed  that  designation  as  one 
of  his  most  honorable  titles.  All  this  took 
place  when  Peter  was  about  twenty-two  years 
old. 

Not  very  long  after  this  the  emperor  had  an 
opportunity  to  make  a  commencement  in  con- 


100  Petee  the  Great.         [1694 

Azof.      Naval  operations  against  Azof.      Treachery  of  the  artilleryman. 

verting  his  nautical  knowledge  to  actual  use  by 
engaging  in  something  like  a  naval  operation 
against  an  enemy.  In  conjunction  with  several 
other  European  powers,  he  declared  war  anew 
against  the  Turks  and  Tartars,  and.  the  chief 
object  of  the  first  campaign  was  the  capture  of 
the  city  of  Azof,  which  is  situated  on  the  shores 
of  the  Sea  of  Azof,  near  the  mouth  of  the  Eiver 
Don.  Peter  not  only  approached  and  invested 
the  city  by  land,  but  he  also  took  possession  of 
the  river  leading  to  it  by  means  of  a  great  num- 
ber of  boats  and  vessels  which  he  caused  to  be 
built  along  the  banks.  In  this  way  he  cut  off 
all  supplies  from  the  city,  and  pressed  it  so 
closely  that  he  would  have  taken  it,  it  was  said, 
had  it  not  been  for  the  treachery  of  an  officer 
of  artillery,  who  betrayed  to  the  enemy  the 
principal  battery  which  had  been  raised  agatnst 
the  town  just  as  it  was  ready  to  be  opened 
upon  the  walls.  This  artilleryman,  who  was 
not  a  native  Kussian,  but  one  of  the  foreigners 
whom  the  Czar  had  enlisted  in  his  service,  be- 
came exasperated  at  some  ill  treatment  which 
he  received  from  the  Kussian  nobleman  who 
commanded  his  corps;  so  he  secretly  drove 
nails  into  the  touchholes  of  all  the  guns  in  the 
battery,  and  then,  in  the  night,  went  over  to  the 
Turks  and  informed  them  what  he  had  done. 


1696.]  Commencement  of  Eeign.   101 

Defeat.  New  attempt.  The  Turkish  fleet  taken. 

Accordingly,  very  early  in  the  morning  the 
Turks  sallied  forth  and  attacked  the  battery, 
and  the  men  who  were  charged  with  the  de- 
fense of  it,  on  rushing  to  the  guns,  found  that 
they  could  not  be  fired.  The  consequence  was 
that  the  battery  was  taken,  the  men  put  to 
flight,  and  the  guns  destroyed.  This  defeat  en- 
tirely disconcerted  the  Eussian  army,  and  so 
effectually  deranged  their  plans  that  they  were 
obliged  to  raise  the  siege  and  withdraw,  with 
the  expectation,  however,  of  renewing  the  at- 
tempt in  another  campaign. 

Accordingly,  the  next  year  the  attempt  was 
renewed,  and  many  more  boats  and  vessels 
were  built  upon  the  river  to  co-operate  with 
the  besiegers.  The  Turks  had  ships  of  their 
own,  which  they  brought  into  the  Sea  of  Azof 
for  the  protection  of  the  town.  But  Peter  sent 
down  a  few  of  his  smaller  vessels,  and  by  means 
of  them  contrived  to  entice  the  Turkish  com- 
mander up  a  little  way  into  the  river.  Peter 
ihen  came  down  upon  him  with  all  his  fleet, 
and  the  Turkish  ships  were  overpowered  and 
taken.  Thus  Peter  gained  his  first  naval  vic- 
tory almost,  as  we  might  say,  on  the  land.  He 
conquered  and  captured  a  fleet  of  sea-going 
ships  by  enticing  them  among  the  boats  and 
other  small  craft  which  he  had  built  up  coun- 
try on  the  banks  of  a  river. 


102  Petee  the  Geeat.        [1696. 

Fall  of  Azof.        Fame  of  the  emperor.        His  plans  for  building  a  fleet. 

Soon  after  this  Azof  was  taken.  One  of  the 
conditions  of  the  surrender  was  that  the  treach- 
erous artilleryman  should  be  delivered  up  to 
the  Czar.  He  was  taken  to  Moscow,  and  there 
put  to  death  with  tortures  too  horrible  to  be 
described.  They  did  not  deny  that  the  man 
had  been  greatly  injured  by  his  Eussian  com- 
mander, but  they  told  him  that  what  he  ought 
to  have  done  was  to  appeal  to  the  emperor  for 
redress,  and  not  to  seek  his  revenge  by  traitor- 
ously giving  up  to  the  enemy  the  trust  commit- 
ted to  his  charge. 

The  emperor  acquired  great  fame  through- 
out Europe  by  the  success  of  his  operations  in 
the  siege  of  Azof.  This  success  also  greatly 
increased  his  interest  in  the  building  of  ships, 
especially  as  he  now,  since  Azof  had  fallen  into 
his  hands,  had  a  port  upon  an  open  sea. 

In  a  word,  Peter  was  now  very  eager  to  be- 
gin at  once  the  building  ships  of  war.  He  was 
determined  that  he  would  have  a  fleet  which 
would  enable  him  to  go  out  and  meet  the  Turks 
in  the  Black  Sea.  The  great  difficulty  was  to 
provide  the  necessary  funds.  To  accomplish 
this  purpose,  Peter,  who  was  never  at  all  scru- 
pulous in  respect  to  the  means  which  he  adopt- 
ed for  attaining  his  ends,  resorted  at  once  to 
very  decided  measures.     Besides  the  usual  tax- 


1696.]  Commencement  of  Eeign.   103 

Foreign  workmen.  Penalties.  His  arbitrary  proceedings. 

es  which  were  laid  upon  the  people  to  main- 
tain the  war,  he  ordained  that  a  certain  number 
of  wealthy  noblemen  should  each  pay  for  one 
ship,  which,  however,  as  some  compensation  for 
the  cost  which  the  nobleman  was  put  to  in 
building  it,  he  was  at  liberty  to  call  by  his  own 
name.  The  same  decree  was  made  in  respect 
to  a  number  of  towns,  monasteries,  companies, 
and  public  institutions.  The  emperor  also  made 
arrangements  for  having  a  large  number  of 
workmen  sent  into  Eussia  from  Holland,  and 
from  Yenice,  and  from  other  maritime  coun- 
tries. The  emperor  laid  his  plans  in  this  way 
for  the  construction  and  equipment  of  a  fleet 
of  about  one  hundred  ships  and  vessels,  consist- 
ing of  frigates,  store-ships,  bomb- vessels,  galleys, 
and  galliasses.  These  were  all  to  be  built, 
equipped,  and  made  in  all  respects  ready  for 
sea  in  the  space  of  three  years ;  and  if  any  per- 
son or  party  failed  to  have  his  ship  ready  at 
that  time,  the  amount  of  the  tax  which  had  been 
assessed  to  him  was  to  be  doubled. 

In  all  these  proceedings,  the  Czar,  as  might 
have  been  expected  from  his  youth  and  his 
headstrong  character,  acted  in  a  very  summary, 
and  in  many  respects  in  an  arbitrary  and  des- 
potic manner.  His  decrees  requiring  the  nobles 
to  contribute  such  large  sums  for  the  building 


104  Petee  the  Great.         [1696. 

He  sends  the  young  nobility  abroad.  Opposition. 

of  his  fleet  occasioned  a  great  deal  of  dissatis- 
faction and  complaint.  And  very  soon  he  re- 
sorted to  some  other  measures,  which  increased 
the  general  discontent  exceedingly. 

He  appointed  a  considerable  number  of  the 
younger  nobility,  and  the  sons  of  other  persons 
of  wealth  and  distinction,  to  travel  in  the  west- 
ern countries  of  Europe  while  the  fleet  was  pre- 
paring, giving  them  special  instructions  in  re- 
spect to  the  objects  of  interest  which  they 
should  severally  examine  and  study.  The  pur- 
pose of  this  measure  was  to  advance  the  gen- 
eral standard  of  intelligence  in  Eussia  by  af- 
fording to  these  young  men  the  advantages  of 
foreign  travel,  and  enlarging  their  ideas  in  re- 
spect to  the  future  progress  of  their  own  coun- 
try in  the  arts  and  appliances  of  civilized  life. 
The  general  idea  of  the  emperor  in  this  was 
excellent,  and  the  effect  of  the  measure  would 
have  been  excellent  too  if  it  had  been  carried 
out  in  a  more  gentle  and  moderate  way.  But 
the  fathers  of  the  young  men  were  incensed  at 
having  their  sons  ordered  thus  peremptorily 
out  of  the  country,  whether  they  liked  to  go  or 
not,  and  however  inconvenient  it  might  be  for 
the  fathers  to  provide  the  large  amounts  of 
money  which  were  required  for  such  journeys. 
It  is  said  that  one  young  man  was  so  angry  at 


1696.5  Commencement  of  Reign.   105 

Sullen  mood  of  mind.  National  prejudices  offended. 

being  thus  sent  away  that  he  determined  that 
his  country  should  not  derive  any  benefit  from 
the  measure,  so  far  as  his  case  was  concerned, 
and  accordingly,  when  he  arrived  at  Venice, 
which  was  the  place  where  he  was  sent,  he  shut 
himself  up  in  his  house,  and  remained  there  all 
the  time,  in  order  that  he  might  not  see  or 
learn  any  thing  to  make  use  of  on  his  return. 

This  seems  almost  incredible.  Indeed,  the 
story  has  more  the  air  of  a  witticism,  invented 
to  express  the  sullen  humor  with  which  many 
of  the  young  men  went  away,  than  the  sober 
statement  of  a  fact.  Still,  it  is  not  impossible 
that  such  a  thing  may  have  actually  occurred ; 
for  the  veneration  of  the  old  Eussian  families 
for  their  own  country,  and  the  contempt  with 
which  they  had  been  accustomed  for  many 
generations  to  look  upon  foreigners,  and  upon 
every  thing  connected  with  foreign  manners 
and  customs,  were  such  as  might  lead  in  ex- 
treme cases,  to  almost  any  degree  of  fanaticism 
in  resisting  the  emperor's  measures.  At  any 
rate,  in  a  short  time  there  was  quite  a  power- 
ful party  formed  in  opposition  to  the  foreign 
influences  which  Peter  was  introducing  into  the 
country. 

There  was  no  one  in  the  imperial  family  to 
whom  this  party  could  look  for  a  leader  and 


106  Peter  the  Great.         [1696. 

The  opposition  party.  Arguments  of  the  disaffected. 

head  except  the  Princess  Sophia.  The  Czar 
John,  Peter's  feeble  brother,  was  dead,  other- 
wise they  might  have  made  his  name  their  ral- 
lying cry.  Sophia  was  still  shut  up  in  the  con- 
vent to  which  Peter  had  sent  her  on  the  dis- 
covery of  her  conspiracy  against  him.  She  was 
kept  very  closely  guarded  there.  Still,  the  lead- 
ers of  the  opposition  contrived  to  open  a  com- 
munication with  her.  They  took  every  means 
to  increase  and  extend  the  prevailing  discon- 
tent. To  people  of  wealth  and  rank  they  rep- 
resented the*  heavy  taxes  which  they  were 
obliged  to  pay  to  defray  the  expenses  of  the 
emperor's  wild  schemes,  and  the  loss  of  their 
own  proper  influence  and  power  in  the  govern- 
ment of  the  country,  they,  themselves  being  dis- 
placed to  make  room  for  foreigners,  or  favor- 
ites like  Menzikoff,  that  were  raised  from  the 
lowest  grades  of  life  to  posts  of  honor  and  profit 
which  ought  to  be  bestowed  upon  the  ancient 
nobility  alone.  To  the  poor  and  ignorant  they 
advanced  other  arguments,  which  were  address- 
ed chiefly  to  their  religious  prejudices.  The 
government  were  subverting  all  the  ancient  us- 
ages of  the  country,  they  said,  and  throwing  ev- 
ery thing  into  the  hands  of  infidel  or  heretical 
foreigners.  The  course  which  the  Czar  was  pur- 
suing was  contrary  to  the  laws  of  God,  they 


1696.]  Commencement  of  Eeign.    107 

Religious  feelings  of  the  people.      The  patriarch.      An  impious  scheme. 

said,  who  Lad  forbidden  the  children  of  Israel 
to  have  any  communion  with  the  unbelieving 
nations  around  them,  in  order  that  they  might 
not  be  led  away  by  them  into  idolatry.  And 
so  in  Eussia,  they  said,  the  extensive  power  of 
granting  permission  to  any  Eussian  subject  to 
leave  the  country  vested,  according  to  the  an- 
cient usages  of  the  empire,  with  the  patriarch, 
the  head  of  the  Church — and  Peter  had  violat- 
ed these  usages  in  sending  away  so  many  of 
the  sons  of  the  nobility  without  the  patriarch's 
consent.  There  were  many  other  measures,  too, 
which  Peter  had  adopted,  or  which  he  had  then 
in  contemplation,  that  were  equally  obnoxious 
to  the  charge  of  impiety.  For  instance,  he  had 
formed  a  plan — and  he  had  even  employed  en- 
gineers-to  take  preliminary  steps  in  reference  to 
the  execution  of  it — for  making  a  canal  from 
the  Eiver  Wolga  to  the  Eiver  Don,  thus  pre- 
sumptuously and  impiously  undertaking  to  turn 
the  streams  one  way,  when  Providence  had  de- 
signed them  to  flow  in  another !  Absurd  as 
many  of  these  representations  were,  they  had 
great  influence  with  the  mass  of  the  common 
people. 

At  length  this  opposition  party  became  so  ex- 
tended and  so  strong  that  the  leaders  thought 
the  tinfe  had  arrived  for  them  to  act.    They  ac- 


108  Peter  the  Great.         [1697. 

Plan  of  the  conspirators.  Fires.  Dread  of  them  in  Moscow. 

cordingly  arranged  the  details  of  their  plot,  and 
prepared  to  put  it  in  execution. 

The  scheme  which  they  formed  was  this: 
they  were  to  set  fire  to  some  houses  in  the 
night,  not  far  from  the  royal  palace,  and  when 
the  emperor  came  out,  as  it  is  said  was  his  cus- 
tom to  do,  in  order  to  assist  in  extinguishing 
the  flames,  they  were  to  set  upon  him  and  as- 
sassinate him. 

It  may  seem  strange  that  it  should  be  the 
custom  of  the  emperor  himself  to  go  out  and 
assist  personally  in  extinguishing  fires.  But  it 
so  happened  that  the  houses  of  Moscow  at  this 
time  were  almost  all  built  of  wood,  and  they 
were  so  combustible,  and  were,  moreover,  so 
much  exposed,  on  account  of  the  many  fires  re- 
quired in  the  winter  season  in  so  cold  a  climate, 
that  the  city  was  subject  to  dreadful  conflagra- 
tions. So  great  was  the  danger,  that  the  in- 
habitants were  continually  in  dread  of  it,  and 
all  classes  vied  with  each  other  in  efforts  to 
avert  the  threatened  calamity  whenever  a  fire 
broke  out.  Besides  this,  there  were  in  those 
days  no  engines  for  throwing  water,  and  no  or- 
ganized department  of  firemen.  All  this,  of 
course,  is  entirely  different  at  the  present  day 
in  modern  cities,  where  houses  are  built  of  brick 
or  stone,  and  the  arrangements  for  extinguish- 


1697.]  Commencement  of  Keign.   109 

Modern  cities.  Plan  for  massacring  the  foreigners.  The  day. 

ing  fires  are  so  complete  that  an  alarm  of  fire 
creates  no  sensation,  but  people  go  on  with  their 
business  or  saunter  carelessly  along  the  streets, 
while  the  firemen  are  gathering,  without  feeling 
the  least  concern. 

As  soon  as  they  had  made  sure  of  the  death 
of  the  Czar,  the  conspirators  were  to  repair  to 
the  convent  where  Sophia  was  imprisoned,  re- 
lease her  from  her  confinement,  and  proclaim 
her  queen.  They  were  then  to  reorganize  the 
Guards,  restore  all  the  officers  who  had  been 
degraded  at  the  time  of  Couvansky's  rebellion, 
then  massacre  all  the  foreigners  whom  Peter 
had  brought  into  the  country,  especially  his  par- 
ticular favorites,  and  so  put  every  thing  back 
upon  its  ancient  footing. 

The  time  fixed  for  the  execution  of  this  plot 
was  the  night  of  the  2d  of  February,  1697 ;  but 
the  whole  scheme  was  defeated  by  what  the 
conspirators  would  probably  call  the  treachery 
of  two  of  their  number.  These  were  two  offi- 
cers of  the  Guards  who  had  been  concerned  in 
the  plot,  but  whose  hearts  failed  them  when 
the  hour  arrived  for  putting  it  into  execution. 
Falling  into  conversation  with  each  other  just 
before  the  time,  and  finding  that  they  agreed 
in  feeling  on  the  subject,  they  resolved  at  once 
to  go  and  make  a  full  confession  to  the  Czar. 


110  Peter  the  Great.         [1697. 

The  plot  revealed.  Measures  taken  by  Peter.  Torture. 

So  they  went  immediately  to  the  house  of 
Le  Fort,  where  the  Czar  then  was,  and  made  a 
confession  of  the  whole  affair.  They  related 
all  the  details  of  the  plot,  and  gave  the  names 
of  the  principal  persons  concerned  in  it. 

The  emperor  was  at  table  with  Le  Fort  at 
the  time  that  he  received  this  communication. 
He  listened  to  it  very  coolly — manifested  no 
surprise — but  simply  rose  from  the  table,  or- 
dered a  small  body  of  men  to  attend  him,  and, 
taking  the  names  of  the  principal  conspirators, 
he  went  at  once  to  their  several  houses  and 
arrested  them  on  the  spot. 

The  leaders  having  been  thus  seized,  the  ex- 
ecution of  the  plot  was  defeated.  The  prison- 
ers were  soon  afterward  put  to  the  torture,  in 
order  to  compel  them  to  confess  their  crime, 
and  to  reveal  the  names  of  all  their  confeder- 
ates. Whether  the  names  thus  extorted  from 
them  by  suffering  were  false  or  true  would  of 
course  be  wholly  uncertain,  but  all  whom  they 
named  were  seized,  and,  after  a  brief  and  very 
informal  trial,  all,  or  nearly  all,  were  condemn- 
ed-to  death.  The  sentence  of  death  was  exe- 
cuted on  them  in  the  most  barbarous  manner 
A  great  column  was  erected  in  the  market 
place  in  Moscow,  and  fitted  with  iron  spikes 
and  hooks,  which  were  made  to  project  from 


1697.]  Commencement  of  Eeign.   Ill 

Punishment  of  the  conspirators.  The  column  in  the  market-place 

it  on  every  side,  from  top  to  bottom.  The 
criminals  were  then  brought,  out  one  by  one, 
and  first  their  arms  were  cut  off,  then  their 
legs,  and  finally  their  heads.  The  amputated 
limbs  were  then  hung  up  upon  the  column  by 
the  hooks,  and  the  heads  were  fixed  to  the 
spikes.  There  they  remained — a  horrid  spec- 
tacle, intended  to  strike  terror  into  all  behold- 
ers— through  February  and  March,  as  long  as 
the  weather  continued  cold  enough  to  keep 
them  frozen.  When  at  length  the  spring  came 
on,  and  the  flesh  of  these  dreadful  trophies 
began  to  thaw,  they  were  taken  down  and 
thrown  together  into  a  pit,  among  the  bodies 
of  common  thieves  and  murderers. 

This  was  the  end  of  the  second  conspiracy 
formed  against  the  life  of  Peter  the  Great. 


112  Peter  the  Great.         [1697. 

Objects  of  the  tour.  An  embassy  to  be  sent. 


.  Chapter  VI. 
The  Emperor's  Tour. 

AT  the  time  when  the  emperor  issued  his 
orders  to  so  many  of  the  sons  of  the  no- 
bility, requiring  them  to  go  and  reside  for  a 
time  in  the  cities  of  western  Europe,  he  formed 
the  design  of  going  himself  to  make  a  tour  in 
that  part  of  the  world,  for  the  purpose  of  visit- 
ing the  courts  and  capitals,  and  seeing  with  his 
own  eyes  what  arts  and  improvements  were  to 
be  found  there  which  might  be  advantageously 
introduced  into  his  own  dominions.  In  the 
spring  of  the  year  1697,  he  thought  that  the 
time  had  come  for  carrying  this  idea  into  effect. 
The  plan  which  he  formed  was  not  to  travel 
openly  in  his  own  name,  for  he  knew  that  in 
this  case  a  great  portion  of  his  time  and  atten- 
tion, in  the  different  courts  and  capitals,  would 
be  wasted  in  the  grand  parades,  processions, 
and  ceremonies  with  which  the  different  sov- 
ereigns would  doubtless  endeavor  to  honor  his 
visit.  He  therefore  determined  to  travel  incog-" 
nito,  in  the  character  of  a  private  person  in  the 
tnin  of  an  embassy.     An  embassy  could  pro- 


1697.]    The  .Emperor's  Tour.         .113 

The  emperor  to  go  incognito.  His  associates. 

ceed  more  quietly  from  place  to  place  than  a 
monarch,  traveling  in  his  own  name ;  and  then 
besides,  if  the  emperor  occupied  only  a  subor- 
dinate place  in  the  train  of  the  embassy,  be 
could  slip  away  from  it  to  pursue  his  own  in- 
quiries in  a  private  manner  whenever  he 
pleased,  leaving  the  embassadors  themselves 
and  those  of  their  train  who  enjoyed  such 
scenes  to  go  through  all  the  public  receptions 
and  other  pompous  formalities  which  would 
have  been  so  tiresome  to  him. 

Greneral  Le  Fort,  who  had  by  this  time  been 
raised  to  a  very  high  position  under  Peter's 
government,  was  placed  at  the  head  of  this 
embassy.  Two  other  great  officers  of  state 
were  associated  with  him.  Then  came  secre- 
taries, interpreters,  and  subordinates  of  all 
kinds,  in  great  numbers,  among  whom  Peter 
was  himself  enrolled  under  a  fictitious  name. 
Peter  took  with  him  several  young  men  of 
about  his  own  age.  Two  or  three  of  these 
were  particular  friends  of  his,  whom  he  wished 
to  have  accompany  him  for  the  sake  of  their 
companionship  on  the  journey.  There  were 
some  others  whom  he  selected  on  account  of 
the  talent  which  they  had  evinced  for  mechan- 
ical and  mathematical  studies.  These  young 
men  he  intended  to  have  instructed  in  the  art 


114;  Peter  the  Gre*at.         [1697. 

The  regency.  Disposition  of  the  Guards. 

of  sliip-building  in  some  of  the  countries  which 
the  embassy  were  to  visit. 

Besides  these  arrangements  in  respect  to  the 
embassy,  provision  was,  of  course,  to  be  made 
by  the  emperor  for  the  government  of  the  coun- 
try during  his  absence.  He  left  the  adminis- 
tration in  the  hands  of  three  great  nobles,  the 
first  of  whom  was  one  of  his  uncles,  his  moth- 
er's brother.  The  name  of  this  prince  was  Na- 
raskin.  The  other  two  nobles  were  associated 
with  Naraskin  in  the  regency.  These  commis- 
sioners were  to  have  the  whole  charge  of  the 
government  of  the  country  during  the  Czar's 
absence.  Peter's  little  son,  whose  name  was 
Alexis,  and  who  was  now  about  seven  years 
old,  was  also  committed  to  their  keeping. 

Not  having  entire  confidence  in  the  fidelity 
of  the  old  Guards,  Peter  did  not  trust  the  de- 
fense of  Moscow  to  them,  but  he  garrisoned  the 
fortifications  in  and  around  the  capital  with  a 
force  of  about  twelve  thousand  men  that  he 
had  gradually  brought  together  for  that  pur- 
pose. A  great  many  of  these  troops,  both  offi- 
cers and  men,  were  foreigners.  Peter  placed 
greater  reliance  on  them  on  that  account,  sup- 
posing that  they  would  be  less  likely  to  sym- 
pathize with  and  join  the  people  of  the  city  in 
case  of  any  popular  discontent  or  disturbances. 


1697.]     The  Emperor's  Tour.         115 

The  embassy  leaves  Moscow.  •  .  Riga. 

The  Guards  were  sent  off  into  the  interior  and 
toward  the  frontiers,  where  they  could  do  no 
great  mischief,  even  if  disposed. 

At  length,  when  every  thing  was  ready,  the 
embassy  set  out  from  Moscow.  The  departure 
of  the  expedition  from  the  gates  of  the  city 
made  quite  an  imposing  scene,  so  numerous 
was  the  party  which  composed  the  embassa- 
dors' train.  There  were  in  all  about  three 
hundred  men.  The  principal  persons  of  the 
embassy  were,  of  course,  splendidly  mounted 
and  equipped,  and  they  were  followed  by  a  line 
of  wagons  conveying  supplies  of  clothing, 
stores,  presents  for  foreign  courts,  and  other 
baggage.  This  baggage-train  was,  of  course, 
attended  by  a  suitable  escort.  Yast  multitudes 
of  people  assembled  along  the  streets  and  at 
the  gates  of  the  city  to  see  the  grand  procession 
commence  its  march. 

The  first  place  of  importance  at  which  the 
embassy  stopped  was  the  city  of  Eiga,  on  the 
shores  of  the  Gulf  of  Eiga,  in  the  eastern  part 
of  the  Baltic  Sea.*  Eiga  and  the  province  in 
which  it  was  situated,  though  now  a  part  of 
the  Eussian  empire,  then  belonged  to  Sweden. 

*  For  the  situation  of  Riga  in  relation  to  Moscow,  and 
for  that  of  the  other  places  visited  by  the  embassy,  the  read- 
er must  not  fail  to  refer  to  a  map  of  Europe. 


116  Peter  the  Great.        [1697. 

Not  allowed  to  see  the  fortifications.  Arrival  at  Konigsberg. 

It  was  the  principal  port  on  the  Baltic  in  those 
days,  and  Peter  felt  a  great  interest  in  viewing 
it,  as  there  was  then  no  naval  outlet  in  that  di- 
rection from  his  dominions.  The  governor  of 
Riga  was  very  polite  to  the  embassy,  and  gave 
them  a  very  honorable  reception  in  the  city, 
but  he  refused  to  allow  the  embassadors  to  ex- 
amine the  fortifications.  It  had  been  arranged 
beforehand  between  the  embassadors  and  Peter 
that  two  of  them  were  to  ask  permission  to  see 
the  fortifications,  and  that  Peter  himself  was  to 
go  around  with  them  as  their  attendant  when 
they  made  their  visit,  in  order  that  he  might 
make  his  own  observations  in  respect  to  the 
strength  of  the  works  and  the  mode  of  their 
construction.  Peter  was  accordingly  very  much 
disappointed  and  vexed  at  the  refusal  of  the 
governor  to  allow  the  fortifications  to  be  view- 
ed, and  he  secretly  resolved  that  he  would  seize 
the  first  opportunity  after  his  return  to  open  a 
quarrel  with  the  King  of  Sweden,  and  take  this 
city  away  from  him. 

Leaving  Riga,  the  embassy  moved  on  toward 
the  southward  and  westward  until,  at  length, 
they  entered  the  dominions  of  the  King  of 
Prussia.  They  came  soon  to  the  city  of  Ko- 
nigsberg,  which  was  at  that  time  the  capital. 
The  reception  of  the  embassy  at  this  city  was 


1697.]     The  Emperor's  Tour.         117 

Grand  procession  in  entering  the  city. 

attended  with  great  pomp  and  display.  The 
whole  party  halted  at  a  small  village  at  the 
distance  of  about  a  mile  from  the  gates,  in  or- 
der to  give  time  for  completing  the  arrange- 
ments, and  to  await  the  arrival  of  a  special  mes- 
senger and  an  escort  from  the  king  to  conduct 
them  within  the  walls. 

At  length,  when  all  was  ready,  the  proces- 
sion formed  about  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon. 
First  came  a  troop  of  horses  that  belonged  to 
the  king.  They  were  splendidly  caparisoned, 
but  were  not  mounted.  They  were  led  by 
grooms.  Then  came  an  escort  of  troops  of  the 
Eoyal  Guards.  They  were  dressed  in  splendid 
red  uniform,  and  were  preceded  by  kettle- 
drums. Then  a  company  of  the  Prussian  no- 
bility in  beautifully  -  decorated  coaches,  each 
drawn  by  six  horses.  Next  came  the  state 
carriages  of  the  king.  The  king  himself  was 
not  in  either  of  them,  it  being  etiquette  for  the 
king  to  remain  in  his  palace,  and  receive  the 
embassy  at  a  public  audience  there  after  their 
arrival.  The  royal  carriages  were  sent  out, 
however,  as  a  special  though  indirect  token  of 
respect  to  the  Czar,  who  was  known  to  be  in 
the  train. 

Then  came  a  procession  of  pages,  consisting 
of  those  of  the  king  and  those  of  the  embassa- 


118  Peter  the  Great.        [1697. 

The  pages.  Curiosity  of  the  people.  The  escort. 

dors  marching  together.  These  pages  were  all 
beautiful  boys,  elegantly  dressed  in  characteris- 
tic liveries  of  red  laced  with  gold.  They 
marched  three  together,  two  of  the  king's  pages 
in  each  rank,  with  one  of  the  embassadors'  be- 
tween them.  The  spectators  were  very  much 
interested  in  these  boys,  and  the  boys  were 
likewise  doubtless  much  interested  in  each  oth- 
er ;  but  they  could  not  hold  any  conversation 
with  each  other,  for  probably  those  of  each  set 
could  speak  only  their  own  language. 

Next  after  the  pages  came  the  embassy  itself. 
First  there  was  a  line  of  thirty-six  carriages, 
containing  the  principal  officers  and  attendants 
of  the  three  embassadors.  In  one  of  these  car- 
riages, riding  quietly  with  the  rest  as  a  subor- 
dinate in  the  train,  was  Peter.  There  was 
doubtless  some  vague  intimation  circulating 
among  the  crowd  that  the  Emperor  of  Eussia 
was  somewhere  in  the  procession,  concealed  in 
his  disguise.  But  there  were  no  means  of 
identifying  him,  and,  of  course,  whatever  curi- 
osity the  people  felt  on  the  subject  remained 
ungratifled. 

Next  after  these  carriages  came  the  military 
escort  which  the  embassadors  had  brought  with 
them.  The  escort  was  headed  by  the  embas 
saclors'  band  of  music,  consisting  of  trumpets, 


1697.]     The  Emperor's  Tour.         119 

Crowds  in  the  streets.  The  embassy  arrives  at  its  lodgings. 

kettle-drums,  and  other  martial  instruments. 
Then  came  a  body  of  foot-guards :  their  uni- 
form was  green,  and  they  were  armed  with 
silver  battle-axes.  Then  came  a  troop  of  horse- 
men, which  completed  the  escort.  Immediate- 
ly after  the  escort  there  followed  the  grand 
state  carriage  of  the  embassy,  with  the  three 
embassadors  in  it. 

The  procession  was  closed  bj^  a  long  train 
of  elegant  carriages,  conveying  various  person- 
ages of  wealth  and  distinction,  who  had  come 
from  the  city  to  join  in  doing  honor  to  the 
strangers. 

As  the  procession  entered  the  city,  they 
found  the  streets  through  which  they  were  to 
pass  densely  lined  on  each  side  by  the  citizens 
who  had  assembled  to  witness  the  spectacle. 
Through  this  vast  concourse  the  embassadors 
and  their  suite  advanced,  and  were  finally  con- 
ducted to  a  splendid  palace  which  had  been 
prepared  for  them  in  the  heart  of  the  city.  The 
garrison  of  the  city  was  drawn  up  at  the  gates 
of  the  palace,  to  receive  them  as  they  arrived. 
"When  the  carriage  reached  the  gate  and  the 
embassadors  began  to  alight,  a  grand  salute  was 
fired  from  the  guns  of  the  fortress.  The  em- 
bassadors were  immediately  conducted  to  their 
several  apartments  in  the  palace  by  the  officers 


120  Peter  the  Great.         [1697. 

Audience  of  the  king.  Presents. 

who  had  led  the  procession,  and  then  left  to  re- 
pose. When  the  officers  were  about  to  with- 
draw, the  embassadors  accompanied  them  to 
the  head  of  the  stairs  and  took  leave  of  them 
there.  The  doors  of  the  palace  and  the  halls 
and  entrances  leading  to  the  apartments  of  the 
embassadors  were  guarded  bj  twenty -four  sol- 
diers, who  were  stationed  there  as  sentinels  to 
protect  the  precincts  from  all  intrusion. 

Four  days  after  this  there  was  another  dis- 
play, when  the  embassadors  were  admitted  to 
their  first  public  audience  with  the  king.  There 
was  again  a  grand  procession  through  the 
streets,  with  great  crowds  assembled  to  witness 
it,  and  bands  of  music,  and  splendid  uniforms, 
and  gorgeous  equipages,  all  more  magnificent, 
if  possible,  than  before.  The  embassadors  were 
conducted  in  this  way  to  the  royal  palace. 
They  entered  the  hall,  dressed  in  cloth  of  gold 
and  silver,  richly  embroidered,  and  adorned 
with  precious  stones  of  great  value.  Here  they 
found  the  king  seated  on  a  throne,  and  attend- 
ed by  all  the  principal  nobles  of  his  court.  The 
embassadors  advanced  to  pay  their  reverence 
to  his  majesty,  bearing  in  their  hands,  in  a  rich- 
ly-ornamented box,  a  letter  from  the  Czar,  with 
which  they  had  been  intrusted  for  him.  There 
were  a  number  of  attendants  also,  who  were 


1697.]     The  Emperor's  Tour.        121 

Delivery  of  the  letter  from  the  Czar.  Its  contents. 

loaded  with  rich  and  valuable  presents  which 
the  embassadors  had  brought  to  offer  to  the 
king.  The  presents  consisted  of  the  most  costly 
furs,  tissues  of  gold  and  silver,  precious  stones, 
and  the  like,  all  productions  of  Eussia,  and  of 
very  great  value. 

The  king  received  the  embassadors  in  a  very 
honorable  manner,  and  made  them  an  address 
of  welcome  in  reply  to  the  brief  addresses  of 
salutation  and  compliment  which  they  first  de- 
livered to  him.  He  received  the  letter  from 
their  hands  and  read  it.  The  presents  were 
deposited  on  tables  which  had  been  set  for  the 
purpose. 

The  letter  stated  that  the  Czar  had  sent  the 
embassy  to  assure  him  of  his  desire  "  to  im- 
prove the  affection  and  good  correspondence 
which  had  always  existed,  as  well  between  his 
royal  highness  and  himself  as  between  their 
illustrious  ancestors."  It  said  also  that  "the 
same  embassy  being  from  thence  to  proceed  to 
the  court  of  Vienna,  the  Czar  requested  the 
king  to  help  them  on  their  journey."  And 
finally  it  expressed  the  thanks  of  the  Czar,  for 
the  "engineers  and  bombardiers"  which  the 
king  had  sent  him  during  the  past  year,  and 
who  had  been  so  useful  to  him  in  the  siege  of 
Azof. 


122  Peter  the  Great.        [1697. 

The  king's  reply.  Grand  banquet.  Effects  of  such  an  embassy. 

The  king,  having  read  the  letter,  made  a 
verbal  reply  to  the  embassadors,  asking  them 
to  thank  the  Czar  in  his  name  for  the  friendly 
sentiments  which  his  letter  expressed,  and  for 
the  splendid  embassy  which  he  had  sent  to 
him. 

All  this  time  the  Czar  himself,  the  author 
of  the  letter,  was  standing  by,  a  quiet  spectator 
of  the  scene,  undistinguishable  from  the  other 
secretaries  and  attendants  that  formed  the  em- 
bassadors' train. 

After  the  ceremony  of  audience  was  com- 
pleted the  embassadors  withdrew.  They  were 
reconducted  to  their  lodgings  with  the  same 
ceremonies  as  were  observed  in  their  coming 
out,  and  then  spent  the  evening  at  a  grand  ban- 
quet provided  for  them  by  the  elector.  All 
the  principal  nobility  of  Prussia  were  present 
at  this  banquet,  and  after  it  was  concluded  the 
town  was  illuminated  with  a  great  display  of 
fireworks,  which  continued  until  midnight. 

The  sending  of  a  grand  embassage  like  this 
from  one  royal  or  imperial  potentate  to  another 
was  a  very  common  occurrence  in  those  times. 
The  pomp  and  parade  with  which  they  were 
accompanied  were  intended  equally  for  the 
purpose  of  illustrating  the  magnificence  of  the 
government  that  sent  them,  and  of  offering  a 


1697.]     The  Emperor's  Tour.        123 

The  policy  of  modern  governments. 

splendid  token  of  respect  to  the  one  to  which 
they  were  sent.  Of  course,  the  expense  was 
enormous,  both  to  the  sovereign  who  sent  and 
to  the  one  who  received  the  compliment.  But 
such  sovereigns  as  those  were  very  willing  to 
expend  money  in  parades  which  exhibited  be- 
fore the  world  the  evidences  of  their  own  grand- 
cur  and  power,  especially  as  the  mass  of  the 
people,  from  whose  toils  the  means  of  defray- 
ing the  cost  was  ultimately  to  come,  were  so 
completely  held  in  subjection  by  military  pow- 
er that  they  could  not  even  complain,  far  less 
could  they  take  any  effectual  measures  for  call- 
ing their  oppressors  to  account.  In  govern- 
ments that  are  organized  at  the  present  day, 
either  by  the  establishment  of  new  constitu- 
tions, or  by  the  remodeling  and  reforming  of 
old  ones,  all  this  is  changed.  The  people  un- 
derstand now  that  all  the  money  which  is  ex- 
pended by  their  governments  is  ultimately  paid 
by  themselves,  and  they  are  gradually  devising 
means  by  which  they  can  themselves  exercise 
a  greater  and  greater  control  over  these  ex- 
penditures. They  retain  a  far  greater  portion 
of  the  avails  of  their  labor  in  their  own  hands, 
and  expend  it  in  adorning  and  making  com- 
fortable their  own  habitations,  and  cultivating 
the  minds  of  their  children,  while  they  require 


124  Peter  the  Great.        [1697. 

The  people  now  reserve  their  earnings  for  their  own  use. 

the  government  officials  to  live,  and  travel,  and 
transact  their  business  in  a  more  quiet  and  un- 
pretending way  than  was  customary  of  yore. 

Thus,  in  traveling  over  most  parts  of  the 
United  States,  you  will  find  the  people  who 
cultivate  the  land  living  in  comfortable,  well- 
furnished  houses,  with  separate  rooms  appro- 
priately arranged  for  the  different  uses  of  the 
family.  There  is  a  carpet  on  the  parlor  floor, 
and  there  are  books  in  the  book-case,  and  good 
supplies  of  comfortable  clothing  in  the  closets. 
But  then  ouy  embassadors  and  ministers  in 
foreign  courts  are  obliged  to  content  them- 
selves with  what  they  consider  very  moderate 
salaries,  which  do  not  at  all  allow  of  their  com- 
peting in  style  and  splendor  with  the  embassa- 
dors sent  from  the  old  despotic  monarchies  of 
Europe,  under  which  the  people  who  till  tne 
ground  live  in  bare  and  wretched  huts,  and 
are  supplied  from  year  to  year  with  only  just 
enough  of  food  and  clothing  to  keep  them  alive 
and  enable  them  to  continue  their  toil. 

But  to  return  to  Peter  and  his  embassy. 
When  the  public  reception  was  over  Peter  in- 
troduced himself  privately  to  the  king  in  his 
own  name,  and  the  king,  in  a  quiet  and  unoffi- 
cial manner,  paid  him  great  attention.  There 
were  to  be  many  more  public  ceremonies,  ban- 


1697.]     The  Empeeor's  Tour.        125 

How  Peter  occupied  his  time.     Dantzic.     Peter  preserves  his  incognito. 

quets,  and  parades  for  the  embassy  in  the  city 
during  their  stay,  but  Peter  withdrew  himself 
entirely  from  the  scene,  and  went  out  to  a  cer- 
tain bay,  which  extended  about  one  hundred 
and  fifty  miles  along  the  shore  between  Konigs- 
berg  and  Dantzic,  and  occupied  himself  in  ex- 
amining the  vessels  which  were  there,  and  in 
sailing  to  and  fro  in  them. 

This  bay  you  will  find  delineated  on  any  map 
of  Europe.  It  extends  along  the  coast  for  a 
considerable  distance  between  Konigsberg  and 
Dantzic,  on  the  southeastern  shore  of  the  Baltic 
Sea. 

When  the  embassadors  and  their  train  had 
finished  their  banquetings  and  celebrations  in 
Konigsberg,  Peter  joined  them  again,  and  the 
expedition  proceeded  to  Dantzic.  This  was  at 
that  time,  as  it  is  now,  a  large  commercial  city, 
being  one  of  the  chief  ports  on  the  Baltic  for 
the  exportation  of  grain  from  Poland  and  other 
fertile  countries  in  the  interior. 

By  this  time  it  began  to  be  every  where  well 
known  that  Peter  himself  was  traveling  with 
the  embassy.  Peter  would  not,  however,  allow 
himself  to  be  recognized  at  all,  or  permit  any 
public  notice  to  be  taken  of  his  presence,  but 
went  about  freely  in  all  the  places  that  he  vis- 
ited with  his  own  companions,  just  as  if  he 


126  Peter  the  Great.        [1697. 

Presents.  His  dress.  His  interest  in  the  shipping. 

were  a  private  person,  leaving  all  the  public 
parades  and  receptions,  and  all  the  banquet- 
ings,  and  other  state  and  civic  ceremonies,  to  the 
three  embassadors  and  their  immediate  train. 

A  great  many  elegant  and  expensive  pres- 
ents, however,  were  sent  in  to  him,  under  pre- 
tense of  sending  them  to  the  embassadors. 

The  expedition  traveled  on  in  this  way  along 
the  coasts  of  the  Baltic  Sea,  on  the  way  toward 
Holland,  which  was  the  country  that  Peter  was 
most  eager  to  see.  At  every  city  where  they 
stopped  Peter  went  about  examining  the  ship- 
ping. He  was  often  attended  by  some  import- 
ant official  person  of  the  place,  but  in  other  re- 
spects he  went  without  any  ceremony  whatev- 
er. He  used  to  change  his  dress,  putting  on,  in 
the  different  places  that  he  visited,  that  which 
was  worn  by  the  common  people  of  the  town, 
so  as  not  to  attract  any  attention,  and  not  even 
to  be  recognized  as  a  foreigner.  At  one  port, 
where  there  were  a  great  many  Dutch  vessels 
that  he  wished  to  see,  he  wore  the  pea-jacket 
and  the  other  sailor-like  dress  of  a  common 
Dutch  skipper,*  in  order  that  he  might  ramble 
about  at  his  ease  along  the  docks,  and  mingle 
freely  with  the  seafaring  men,  without  attract- 
ing any  notice  at  all. 

*  A  skippei*  is  the  Captain  of  a  small  vessel. 


FETEE   AMONG    THE    SHIPPING. 


1697.]     The  Emperor's  Tour.        129 

Grand  entrance  into  Holland.  Curiosity  of  the  people. 

The  .people  of  Holland  were  aware  that  the 
embassy  was  coming  into  their  country,  and 
that  Peter  himself  accompanied  it,  and  they  ac- 
cordingly prepared  to  receive  the  party  with 
the  highest  marks  of  honor.  As  the  embassy, 
after  crossing  the  frontier,  moved  on  toward 
Amsterdam,  salutes  were  fired  from  the  ram- 
parts of  all  the  great  towns  that  they  passed, 
the  soldiers  were  drawn  out,  and  civic  proces- 
sions, formed  of  magistrates  and  citizens,  met 
them  at  the  gates  to  conduct  them  through  the 
streets.  The  windows,  too,  and  the  roofs  of 
all  the  houses,  were  crowded  with  spectators. 
Wherever  they  stopped  at  night  bonfires  and 
illuminations  were  made  in  honor  of  their  ar- 
rival, and  sometimes  beautiful  fireworks  were 
played  off  in  the  evening  before  their  palace 
windows. 

Of  course,  there  was  a  great  desire  felt  every 
where  among  the  spectators  to  discover  which 
of  the  personages  who  followed  in  the  train  of 
the  embassy  was  the  Czar  himself.  They  found 
it,  however,  impossible  to  determine  this  point, 
so  completely  had  Peter  disguised  his  person 
and  merged  himself  with  the  rest.  Indeed,  in 
some  cases,  when  the  procession  Was  moving 
forward  with  great  ceremony,  the  object  of  the 
closest  scrutiny  in  every  part  for  thousands  of 
I 


130  Petek  the  Great.         [1697. 

Peter  enters  Amsterdam  privately.  Views  of  the  Hollanders. 

eyes,  Peter  himself  was  not  in  it  at  all.  This 
was  particularly  the  case  on  the  occasion  of  the 
grand  entry  into  Amsterdam.  Peter  left  the 
party  at  a  distance  from  the  city,  in  order  to  go 
in  quietly  the  next  day,  in  company  with  some 
merchants  with  whom  he  had  become  acquaint- 
ed. And,  accordingly,  while  all  Amsterdam  had 
gathered  into  the  streets,  and  were  watching  with 
the  most  intense  curiosity  every  train  as  it  pass- 
ed, in  order  to  discover  which  one  contained  the 
great  Czar,  the  great  Czar  himself  was  several 
miles  away,  sitting  quietly  with  his  friends,  the 
merchants,  at  a  table  in  a  common  country  inn. 

The  government  and  the  people  of  Holland 
took  a  very  great  interest  in  this  embassy,  not 
only  on  account  of  the  splendor  of  it,  and  the 
magnitude  of  the  'imperial  power  which  it  rep- 
resented, but  also  on  account  of  the  business 
and  pecuniary  considerations  which  were  in- 
volved. They  wished  very  much  to  cultivate 
a  good  understanding  with  Russia,  on  account 
of  the  trade  and  commerce  of  that  country, 
which  was  already  very  great,  and  was  rapidly 
increasing.  They  determined,  therefore,  to 
show  the  embassy  every  mark  of  consideration 
and  honor.* 

Besides  the  measures  which  they  adopted  for 
giving  the  embassy  itself  a  grand  reception,  the 


1697.]     The  Emperor's  Tour.         131 

Residence  of  the  Czar.  The  East  ^ndia  Company. 

government  set  apart  a  spacious  and  splendid 
house  in  Amsterdam  for  the  use  of  the  Czar 
during  his  stay.  They  did  this  in  a  somewhat 
private  and  informal  manner,  it  is  true,  for  they 
knew  that  Peter  did  not  wish  that  his  presence 
with  the  embassy  should  be  openly  noticed  in 
any  way.  They  organized  also  a  complete 
household  for  this  palace,  including  servants, 
attendants,  and  officers  of  all  kinds,  in  a  style 
corresponding  to  the  dignity  of  the  exalted 
personage  who  was  expected  to  occupy  it. 

But  Peter,  when  he  arrived,  would  not  occu- 
py the  palace  at  all,  but  went  into  a  quiet  lodg- 
ing among  the  shipping,  where  he  could  ram- 
ble about  without  constraint,  and  see  all  that 
was  to  be  seen  which  could  illustrate  the  art 
of  navigation.  The  Dutch  East  India  Compa- 
ny, which  was  then,  perhaps,  the  greatest  and 
most  powerful  association  of  merchants  which 
had  ever  existed,  had  large  ship-yards,  where 
their  vessels  were  built,  at  Saardam.  Saardam 
was  almost  a  suburb  of  Amsterdam,  being  sit- 
uated on  a  deep  river  which  empties  into  the 
Y,  so  called,  which  is  the  harbor  of  Amster- 
dam, and  only  a  few  miles  from  the  town. 
Peter  immediately  made  arrangements  for  go- 
ing to  these  ship-yards  and  spending  the  time 
while  the  embassy  remained  in  that  part  of  the 


132  Peter  the  Great.        [1697. 

Peter  goe-  to  work.  His  real  object  in  pursuing  this  coup  e. 

country  in  studying  the  construction  of  ships, 
and  in  becoming  acquainted  with  the  principal 
builders.  Here,  as  the  historians  of  the  times 
say,  he  entered  himself  as  a  common  ship-car- 
penter, being  enrolled  in  the  list  of  the  compa- 
ny's workmen  by  the  name  Peter  Michaelhoff, 
which  was  as  nearly  as  possible  his  real  name. 
He  lived  here  several  months,  and  devoted 
himself  diligently  to  his  work.  He  kept  two 
or  three  of  his  companions  with  him  —  those 
whom  he  had  brought  from  Moscow  as  his 
friends  and  associates  on  the  touf ;  but  they,  it 
is  said,  did  not  take  hold  of  the  hard  work  with 
nearly  as  much  zeal  and  energy  as  Peter  dis- 
played. Peter  himself  worked  for  the  greatest 
part  of  every  day  among  the  other  workmen, 
wearing  also  the  same  dress  that  they  wore. 
When  he  was  tired  of  work  "he  would  go  out 
on  the  water,  and  sail  and  row  about  in  the 
different  sorts  of  boats,  so  as  to  make  himself 
practically  acquainted  with  the  comparative  ef- 
fects of  the  various  modes  of  construction. 

The  object  which  Peter  had  in  view  in  all 
this  was,  doubtless,  in  a  great  measure,  his  own 
enjoyment  for  the  time  being.  He  was  so 
much  interested  in  the  subject  of  ships  and 
ship-building,  and  in  every  thing  connected 
with  navigation,  that  it  was  a  delight  to  him  to 


1697.]     The  Empeeoe's  Toue.         133 

Ilis  taste  for  mechanics.         The  opportunities  and  facilities  he  enjoyed. 

be  in  the  midst  of  such  scenes  as  were  to  be 
witnessed  in  the  company's  yards.  He  was 
still  but  a  young  man,  and,  like  a  great  many 
other  young  men,  he  liked  boats  and  the  water. 
It  is  not  probable,  notwithstanding  what  is  said 
by  historians  about  his  performances  with  the 
broad -axe,  that  he  really  did  much  serious 
work.  Still  he  was  naturally  fond  of  mechan- 
ical occupations,  as  the  fact  of  his  making  a 
wheelbarrow  with  which  to  construct  a  fortifi- 
cation, in  his  schoolboy  days,  sufficiently  indi- 
cates. 

Then,  again,  his  being  in  the  ship-yards  so 
long,  nominally  as  one  of  the  workmen,  gave 
him  undoubtedly  great  facilities  for  observing 
every  thing  which  it  was  important  that  he 
should  know.  Of  course,  he  could  not  have 
seriously  intended  to  make  himself  an  actual 
and  practical  ship-carpenter,  for,  in  the  first 
place,  the  time  was  too  short.  A  trade  like 
that  of  a  ship-carpenter  requires  years  of  ap- 
prenticeship to  make  a  really  good  workman. 
Then,  in  the  second  place,  the  mechanical  part 
of  the  work  was  not  the  part  which  it  devolved 
upon  him,  as  a  sovereign  intent  on  building  up 
a  navy  for  the  protection  of  his  empire,  even  to 
superintend.  He  could  not,  therefore,  have  se- 
riously intended  to  learn  to  build  ships  him- 


134  Peter  the  Great.        [1697. 

His  old  workshop.  Mode  of  preserving  it. 

self,  but  only  to  make  himself  nominally  a 
workman,  partly  for  the  pleasure  which  it  gave 
him  to  place  himself  so  wholly  at  home  among 
the  shipping,  and  partly  for  the  sake  of  the  in- 
creased opportunities  which  he  thereby  obtain- 
ed of  learning  many  things  which  it  was  im- 
portant that  he  should  know. 

Travelers  visiting  Holland  at  the  present  day 
often  go  out  to  Saardam  to  see  the  little  building 
that  is  still  shown  as  the  shop  which  Peter  occu- 
pied while  he  was  there.  It  is  a  small  wooden 
building,  leaning  and  bent  with  age  and  decrep- 
itude and  darkened  by  exposure  and  time. 
"Within  the  last  half  century,  however,  in  order 
to  save  so  curious  a  relic  from  farther  decay, 
the  proprietors  of  the  place  have  constructed 
around  and  over  it  an  outer  building  of  brick, 
which  incloses  the  hut  itself  like  a  case.  The 
sides  of  the  outer  building  are  formed  of  large, 
open  arches,  which  allow  the  hut  within  to  be 
seen.  The  ground  on  which  the  hut  stands  has 
also  been  laid  out  prettily  as  a  garden,  and  is 
inclosed  by  a  wall.  Within  this  wall,  and  near 
the  gate,  is  a  very  neat  and  pretty  Dutch  cot- 
tage, in  which  the  custodian  lives  who  shows 
the  place  to  strangers. 

While  Peter  was  in  the  ship-yards  the  work- 
men knew  who  he  was,  but  all  persons  were 


1697.]      The  Emperor's  Tour.        135 

The  workmen  in  the  yard.       Peter's  visits  to  his  friends  in  Amsterdam. 

forbidden  to  gather  around  or  gaze  at  trim,  or 
to  interfere  witk  him  in  any  way  by  their  notice 
or  their  attentions.  They  were  to  allow  him  to 
go  and  come  as  he  pleased,  without  any  molest- 
ation. These  orders  they  obeyed  as  well  as 
they  could,  as  every  one  was  desirous  of  treat- 
ing their  visitor  in  a  manner  as  agreeable  to 
him  as  possible,  so  as  to  prolong  his  stay. 

Peter  varied  his  amusements,  while  he  thus 
resided  in  Saardam,  by  making  occasional  visits 
in  a  quiet  and  private  way  to  certain  friends  in 
Amsterdam.  He  very  seldom  attended  any  of 
the  great  parades  and  celebrations  which  were 
continually  taking  place  in  honor  of  the  em- 
bassy, but  went  only  to  the  houses  of  men 
eminent  in  private  life  for  their  attainments  in 
particular  branches  of  knowledge,  or  for  their 
experience  or  success  as  merchants  or  naviga- 
tors. There  was  one  person  in  particular  that 
Peter  became  acquainted  with  in  Amsterdam, 
whose  company  and  conversation  pleased  him 
very  much,  and  whom  he  frequently  visited. 
This  was  a  certain  wealthy  merchant,  whose 
operations  were  on  so  vast  a  scale  that  he  was 
accustomed  to  send  off  special  expeditions  at 
his  own  expense,  all  over  the  world,  to  explore 
new  regions  and  discover  new  fields  for  his 
commercial  enterprise.     In  order  also  to  im- 


136  Peter  the  Great.        [1697. 

The  rich  merchant.  Peter's  manners  and  character. 

prove  the  accuracy  of  the  methods  employed 
by  his  ship-masters  for  ascertaining  the  latitude 
and  longitude  in  navigating  their  ships,  he  built 
an  observatory,  and  furnished  it  with  the  tele- 
scopes, quadrants,  and  other  costly  instruments 
necessary  for  making  the  observations — all  at 
his  own  expense. 

With  this  gentleman,  and  with  the  other 
persons  in  Amsterdam  that  Peter  took  a  fancy 
to,  he  lived  on  very  .friendly  and  familiar  terms. 
He  often  came  in  from  Saardam  to  visit  them, 
and  would  sometimes  spend  a  considerable  por- 
tion of  the  night  in  drinking  and  making  merry 
with  them.  He  assumed  with  these  friends 
none  of  the  reserve  and  dignity  of  demeanor 
that  we  should  naturally  associate  with  the  idea 
of  a  king.  Indeed,  he  was  very  blunt,  and  often 
rough  and  overbearing  in  his  manners,  not  un- 
frequently  doing  and  saying  things  which 
would  scarcely  be  pardoned  in  a  person  of  in- 
ferior station.  When  thwarted  or  opposed  in 
any  way  he  was  irritable  and  violent,  and  he 
evinced  continually  a  temper  that  was  very  far 
from  being  amiable.  In  a  word,  though  his  so- 
ciety was  eagerly  sought  by  all  whom  he  was 
willing  to  associate  with,  he  seems  to  have  made 
no  real  friends.  Those  who  knew  him  admired 
his  intelligence  and  his  energy,  and  they  re- 


1697.]      The  Emperor's  Tour.        137 


The  Hague. 


spected  his  power,  but  he  was  not  a  man  that 
any  one  could  love. 

Amsterdam,  though  it  was  the  great  com- 
mercial centre  of  Holland — and,  indeed,  at  that 
time,  of  the  world — -was  not  the  capital  of  the 
country.  The  seat  of  government  was  then,  as 
now,  at  the  Hague.  Accordingly,  after  remain- 
ing as  long  at  Amsterdam  as  Peter  wished  to 
amuse  himself  in  the  ship-yards,  the  embassy 
moved  on  to  the  Hague,  where  it  was  received 
in  a  very  formal  and  honorable  manner  by  the 
king  and  the  government.  The  presence  of 
Peter  could  not  be  openly  referred  to,  but  very 
special  and  unusual  honors  were  paid  to  the 
embassy  in  tacit  recognition  of  it.  At  the 
Hague  were  resident  ministers  from  all  the 
great  powers  of  Europe,  and  these  all,  with  one 
exception,  came  to  pay  visits  of  ceremony  to 
the  embassadors,  which  visits  were  of  course 
duly  returned  with  great  pomp  and  parade. 
The  exception  was  the  minister  of  France. 
There  was  a  coolness  existing  at  this  time  be- 
tween the  Eussian  and  the  French  governments 
on  account  of  something  Peter  had  done  in  re- 
spect to  the  election  of  a  king  of  Poland,  which 
displeased  the  French  king,  and  on  this  account 
the  French  minister  declined  taking  part  in  the 
special  honors  paid  to  the  embassy. 


138  Peter  the  Great.         [1697. 


The  embassy  at  the  Hague. 


The  Hague  was  at  this  time  perhaps  the  most 
influential  and  powerful  capital  of  Europe.  It 
was  the  centre,  in  fact,  of  all  important  political 
movements  and  intrigues  for  the  whole  Conti- 
nent. The  embassy  accordingly  paused  here, 
to  take  some  rest  from  the  fatigues  and  excite- 
ments of  their  long  journey,  and  to  allow  Pe- 
ter time  to  form  and  mature  plans  for  future 
movements  and  operations. 


1697.]  Conclusion  of  the  Toue.   139 

Peter  compares  the  shipping  of  different  nations. 


Chapter  VII. 
Conclusion  of  The  Tour. 

WHILE  the  embassy  itself  was  occupied 
with,  the  parades  and  ceremonies  at  the 
Hague,  and  at  Utrecht,  where  they  had  a  grand 
interview  with  the  States- General,  and  at  other 
great  political  centres,  Peter  traveled  to  and  fro 
about  Holland,  visiting  the  different  ports,  and 
examining  the  shipping  that  he  found  in  them, 
with  the  view  of  comparing  the  different  mod- 
els ;  for  there  were  vessels  in  these  ports  from 
almost  all  the  maritime  countries  of  Europe. 
His  attention  was  at  last  turned  to  some  En- 
glish ships,  which  pleased  him  very  much.  He 
liked  the  form  of  them  better  than  that  of  the 
Dutch  ships  that  he  had  seen.  He  soon  made 
the  acquaintance  of  a  number  of  English  ship- 
masters and  ship-carpenters,  and  obtained  from 
them,  through  an  interpreter  of  course,  a  great 
deal  of  information  in  respect  to  the  state  of  the 
art  of  ship-building  in  their  country.  He  heard 
that  in  England  naval  carpentry  had  been  re- 
duced to  a  regular  science,  and  that  the  forms  and 


140  Peter  the  Great.        [1697. 

He  determines  to  visit  England.         King  William  favors  Peter's  plans. 

models  of  the  vessels  built  there  were  determ- 
ined by  fixed,  mathematical  principles,  which 
every  skillful  and  intelligent  workman  was  ex^ 
pected  to  understand  and  to  practice  upon; 
whereas  in  Holland  the  carpenters  worked  by 
rote,  each  new  set  following  their  predecessors 
by  a  sort  of  mechanical  imitation,  without  being 
governed  by  any  principles  or  theory  at  all. 

Peter  immediately  determined  that  he  would 
go  to  England,  and  study  the  English  methods 
himself  on  the  spot,  as  he  had  already  studied 
those  of  Holland. 

The  political  relations  between  England  and 
Holland  were  at  this  time  of  a  very  intimate 
character,  the  King  of  England  being  William, 
Prince  of  Orange.*  The  king,  when  he  heard 
of  Peter's  intention,  was  much  pleased,  and  de- 
termined to  do  ail  in  his  power  to  promote  his 
views  in  making  the  journey.  He  immediately 
provided  the  Czar  with  a  number  of  English 
attendants  to  accompany  him  on  his  voyage, 
and  to  remain  with  him  in  England  during  his 
stay.     Among  these  were  interpreters,  secre- 

*  "William,  Prince  of  Orange,  was  descended  on  the  female 
side  from  the  English  royal  family,  and  was  a  Protestant. 
Accordingly,  when  James  II.,  and  with  him  the  Catholic 
branch  of  the  royal  family  of  England,  was  expelled  from 
the  throne,  the  British  Parliament  called  upon  William  to 
ascend  it,  he  being  the  next  heir  on  the  Protestant  side. 


1697.]  Conclusion  of  the  Tour.   141 

Peter  leaves  Holland.  Helvoetsluys.  Arrival  in  England. 

taries,  valets,  and  a  number  of  cooks  and  other 
domestic  servants.  These  persons  were  paid 
bj  the  King  of  England  himself,  and  were  or- 
dered to  accompany  Peter  to  England,  to  re- 
main with  him  all  the  time  that  he  was  there, 
and  then  to  return  with  him  to  Holland,  so  that 
during  the  whole  period  of  his  absence  he 
should  have  no  trouble  whatever  in  respect  to 
his  personal  comforts  or  wants. 

These  preparations  having  been  all  made,  the 
Czar  left  the  embassy,  and  taking  with  him  the 
company  of  servants  which  the  king  had  pro- 
vided, and  also  the  few  private  friends  who  had 
been  with  him  all  the  time  since  leaving  Mos- 
cow, he  sailed  from  a  certain  port  in  the  south- 
western part  of  Holland,  called  Helvoetsluys, 
about  the  middle  of  the  month  of  January. 

He  arrived  without  any  accident  at  London. 
Here  he  at  first  took  up  his  abode  in  a  hand- 
some house  which  the  king  had  ordered  to  be 
provided  and  furnished  for  him.  This  house 
was  in  a  genteel  part  of  the  town,  where  the 
noblemen  and  other  persons  belonging  to  the 
court  resided.  It  was  very  pleasantly  situated 
near  the  river,  and  the  grounds  pertaining  to  it 
extended  down  to  the  water  side.  Still  it  was 
far  away  from  the  part  of  the  city  which  was 
devoted  to  commerce  and  the  shipping,  and 


142  Peter  the  Great.        [1697. 

His  reception  in  London.  The  Duke  of  Leeds.  Bishop  Burnet. 

Peter  was  not  very  well  satisfied  with  it  on  that 
account.  He,  however,  went  to  it  at  first,  and 
continued  to  occupy  it  for  some  time. 

In  this  house  the  Czar  was  visited  by  a  great 
number  of  the  nobility,  and  he  visited  them  in 
return.  He  also  received  particular  attentions 
from  such  members  of  the  royal  family  as  were 
then  in  London.  But  the  person  whose  society 
pleased  him  most  was  one  of  the  nobility,  who, 
like  himself,  took  a  great  interest  in  maritime 
affairs.  This  was  the  Duke  of  Leeds.  The 
duke  kept  a  number  of  boats  at  the  foot  of  his 
gardens  in  London,  and  he  and  Peter  used  often 
to  go  out  together  in  the  river,  and  row  and 
sail  in  them. 

Among  other  attentions  which  were  paid  to 
Peter  by  the  government  during  his. stay  in 
London,  one  was  the  appointment  of  a  person 
to  attend  upon  him  for  the  purpose  of  giving 
him,  at  any  time,  such  explanations  or  such  in- 
formation as  he  might  desire  in  respect  to  the 
various  institutions  of  England,  whether  those 
relating  to  government,  to  education,  or  to  re- 
ligion. The  person  thus  appointed  was  Bishop 
Burnet,  a  very  distinguished  dignitary  of  the 
Church.  The  bishop  could,  of  course,  onl}r 
converse  with  Peter  through  interpreters,  but 
the  practice  of  conversing  in  that  way  was  very 


1697.]  Conclusion  of  the  Tour.  143 

The  bishop's  opinion  of  Peter's  character.  Designs  of  Providence. 

common  in  those  days,  and  persons  were  spe- 
cially trained  and  educated  to  translate  the  lan- 
guage of  one  person  to  another  in  an  easy  and 
agreeable  manner.  In  this  way  Bishop  Burnet 
held  from  time  to  time  various  interviews  with 
the  Czar,  but  it  seems  that  he  did  not  form  a 
very  favorable  opinion  of  his  temper  and  char- 
acter. The  bishop,  in  an  account  of  these  in- 
terviews which  he  subsequently  wrote,  said 
that  Peter  was  a  man  of  strong  capacity,  and 
of  much  better  general  education  than  might 
have  been  expected  from  the  manner  of  life 
which  he  had  led,  but  that  he  was  of  a  very 
hot  and  violent  temper,  and  that  he  was  very 
brutal  in  his  language  and  demeanor  when  he 
was  in  a  passion.  The  bishop  expressed  him- 
self quite  strongly  on  this  point,  saying  that  he 
could  not  but  adore  the  depth  of  the  providence 
of  God  that  had  raised  such  a  furious  man  to 
so  absolute  an  authority  over  so  great  a  part 
of  the  world. 

It  was  seen  in  the  end  how  wise  was  the  ar- 
rangement of  Providence  in  the  selection  of 
this  instrument  for  the  accomplishment  of  its 
designs — for  the  reforms  which,  notwithstand- 
ing the  violence  of  his  personal  character,  and 
the  unjust  and  cruel  deeds  which  he  sometimes 
performed,  Peter  was  the  means  of  introducing, 


144  Peter  the  Great.        [1697. 

Peter's  curiosity.  His  conversations  with  the  bishop. 

and  those  to  which  the  changes  that  he  made 
afterward  led,  have  advanced,  and  are  still  ad- 
vancing more  and  more  every  year,  the  whole 
moral,  political,  and  social  condition  of  all  the 
populations  of  Northern  Europe  and  Asia,  and 
have  instituted  a  course  of  progress  and  im- 
provement which  will,  perhaps,  go  on,  without 
being  again  arrested,  to  the  end  of  time. 

The  bishop  says  that  he  found  Peter  some- 
what curious  to  learn  what  the  political  and  re- 
ligious institutions  of  England  were,  but  that 
he  did  not  manifest  any  intention  or  desire  to 
introduce  them  into  his  own  country.  The 
chief  topic  which  interested  him,  even  in  talk- 
ing with  the  bishop,  was  that  of  his  purposes 
and  plans  in  respect  to  ships  and  shipping.  He 
gave  the  bishop  an  account  of  what  he  had 
done,  and  of  what  he  intended  to  do,  for  the 
elevation  and  improvement  of  his  people ;  but 
all  his  plans  of  this  kind  were  confined  to  such 
improvements  as  would  tend  to  the  extension 
and  aggrandizement  of  his  own  power.  In 
other  words,  the  ultimate  object  of  the  reforms 
which  he  was  desirous  of  introducing  was  not 
the  comfort  and  happiness  of  the  people  them- 
selves, but  his  own  exaltation  and  glory  among 
the  potentates  of  the  earth  as  their  hereditary 
and  despotic  sovereign. 


1697.J  Conclusion  of  the  Tour.  145 

Peter  takes  a  house  "below  bridge."  How  he  spent  his  time. 

After  remaining  some  time  in  the  residence 
which  the  king  had  provided  for  him  at  the 
court  end  of  the  town,  Peter  contrived  to  have 
a  house  set  apart  for  him  "  below  bridge,"  as 
the  phrase  was — that  is,  among  the  shipping. 
There  was  but  one  bridge  across  the  Thames  in 
those  days,  and  the  position  of  that  one,  of 
course,  determined  the  limit  of  that  part  of  the 
river  and  town  that  could  be  devoted  to  the 
purposes  of  commerce  and  navigation,  for  ships, 
of  course,  could  not  go  above  it.  The  house 
which  was  now  provided  for  Peter  was  near 
the  royal  ship-yard.  There  was  a  back  gate 
which  opened  from  the  yard  of  the  house  into 
the  ship-yard,  so  that  Peter  could  go  and  come 
when  he  pleased.  Peter  remained  in  this  new 
lodging  for  some  time.  He  often  went  into  the 
ship-yard  to  watch  the  men  at  their  operations, 
and  while  there  would  often  take  up  the  tools 
and  work  with  them.  At  other  times  he  would 
ramble  about  the  streets  of  London  in  company 
with  his  two  or  three  particular  friends,  exam- 
ining every  thing  which  was  new  or  strange  to 
him,  and  talking  with  his  companions  in  respect 
to  the  expediency  or  feasibility  of  introducing 
the  article  or  the  usage,  whatever  it  might  be, 
as  an  improvement,  into  his  own  dominions. 

In  these  excursions  Peter  was  sometimes 
K 


146  Peter  the  Great.      -  [1697. 

Peter's  dress.        Curiosity  in  respect  to  him.        His  visit  to  the  Tower. 

dressed  in  the  English  citizen's  dress,  and  some- 
times he  wore  the  dress  of  a  common  sailor. 
In  the  latter  costume  he  found  that  he  could 
walk  about  more  freely  on  the  wharves  and 
along  the  docks  without  attracting  observation ; 
but,  notwithstanding  all  that  he  could  do  to 
disguise  himself,  he  was  often  discovered.  Some 
person,  perhaps,  who  had  seen  him  and  his 
friends  in  the  ship-yard,  would  recognize  him 
and  point  him  out.  Then  it  would  be  whis- 
pered from  one  to  another  among  the  by-stand- 
ers  that  that  was  the  Eussian  Emperor,  and 
people  would  follow  him  where  he  went,  or 
gather  around  him  where  he  was  standing.  In 
such  cases  as  this,  as  soon  as  Peter  found  that 
he  was  recognized,  and  was  beginning  to  attract 
attention,  he  always  went  immediately  away. 

Among  other  objects  of  interest  which  at- 
tracted Peter's  attention  in  London  was  the 
Tower,  where  there  was  kept  then,  as  now,  an 
immense  collection  of  arms  of  all  kinds.  This 
collection  consists  not  only  of  a  vast  store  of 
the  weapons  in  use  at  the  present  day,  laid  up 
there  to  be  ready  for  service  whenever  they 
may  be  required,  but  also  a  great  number  and 
variety  of  specimens  of  those  which  were  em- 
ployed in  former  ages,  but  are  now  superseded 
by  new  inventions.     Peter,  as  might  naturally 


1697.J  Conclusion  of  the  Toue.  147 

The  various  sights  and  shows  of  London. 

have  been  expected,  took  a  great  deal  of  inter- 
est in  examining  these  collections. 

In  respect  to  all  the  more  ordinary  objects 
of  interest  for  strangers  in  London,  the  shops, 
the  theatres,  the  parks,  the  gay  parties  given 
by  the  nobility  at  the  West  End,  and  other  such 
spectacles,  Peter  saw  them  all,  but  he  paid  very 
little  attention  to  them.  His  thoughts  were  al- 
most entirely  engrossed  by  subjects  connected 
with  his  navy.  He  found,  as  he  had  expected 
from  what  he  heard  in  Holland,  that  the  En- 
glish ship-carpenters  had  reduced  their  business 
quite  to  a  system,  being  accustomed  to  determ- 
ine the  proportions  of  the  model  by  fixed  prin- 
ciples, and  to  work,  in  the  construction  of  the 
ship,  from  drafts  made  by  rule.  When  he  was 
in  the  ship-yard  he  studied  this  subject  very 
attentively ;  and  although  it  was,  of  course, 
impossible  that  in  so  short  a  time  he  should 
make  himself  fully  master  of  it,  he  was  still 
able  to  obtain  such  a  general  insight  into  the 
nature  of  the  method  as  would  very  much  as- 
sist him  in  making  arrangements  for  introduc- 
ing it  into  his  own  country. 

There  was  another  measure  which  he  took 
that  was  even  more  important  still.  He  availed 
himself  of  every  opportunity  which  was  afford- 
ed him,  while  engaged  in  the  ship-yards  and 


148  Peter  the  Great.        [1697. 

Workmen  engaged-  Peter's  visit  to  Portsmouth  and  Spithead. 

docks,  to  become  acquainted  with  the  work- 
men, especially  the  head  workmen  of  the  yards, 
and  he  engaged  a  number  of  them  to  go  to 
Russia,  and  enter  into  his  service  there  in  the 
work  of  building  his  navy. 

In  a  word,  the  Czar  was  much  better  pleased 
with  the  manner  in  which  the  work  of  ship- 
building was  carried  on  in  England  than  with 
any  thing  that  he  had  seen  in  Holland ;  so 
much  so  that  he  said  he  wished  that  he  had 
come  directly  to  England  at  first,  inasmuch  as 
now,  since  he  had  seen  how  much  superior 
were  the  English  methods,  he  considered  the 
long  stay  which  he  had  made  in  Holland  as 
pretty  nearly  lost  time. 

After  remaining  as  long  and  learning  as  much 
in  the  dock-yards  in  and  below  London  as  he 
thought  the  time  at  his  command  would  allow, 
Peter  went  to  Portsmouth  to  visit  the  royal 
navy  at  anchor  there.  The  arrangement  which 
nature  has  made  of  the  southern  coast  of  En- 
gland seems  almost  as  if  expressly  intended  for 
the  accommodation  of  a  great  national  and 
mercantile  marine.  In  the  first  place,  at  the 
town  of  Portsmouth,  there  is  a  deep  and  spa- 
cious harbor  entirely  surrounded  and  protected 
by  land.  Then  at  a  few  miles  distant,  off  the 
coast,  lies  the  Isle  of  Wight,  which  brings  under 


1697.J  Conclusion  of  the  Tour.  149 


Situation  of  Spithead.  Appearance  of  the  men-of-war. 

shelter  a  sheet  of  water  not  less  than  five  miles 
wide  and  twenty  miles  long,  where  all  the  fleets 
and  navies  of  the  world  might  lie  at  anchor  in 
safety.  There  is  an  open  access  to  this  sound 
both  from  the  east  and  from  the  west,  and  yet 
the  shores  curve  in  such  a  manner  that  both 
entrances  are  well  protected  from  the  ingress 
of  storms. 

Directly  opposite  to  Portsmouth,  and  within 
this  inclosed  sea,  is  a  place  where  the  water  is 
just  of  the  right  depth,  and  the  bottom  of  just 
the  right  conformation  for  the  convenient  an- 
choring of  ships  of  war.  This  place  is  called 
Spithead,  and  it  forms  one  of  the  most  famous 
anchoring  grounds  in  the  world.  It  is  here 
that  the  vast  fleets  of  the  English  navy  assem- 
ble, and  here  the  ships  come  to  anchor,  when 
returning  home  from  their  distant  voyages. 
The  view  of  these  grim-looking  sea-monsters, 
with  their  double  and  triple  rows  of  guns,  lying 
quietly  at  their  moorings,  as  seen  by  the  spec- 
tator from  the  deck  of  the  steamer  which  glides 
through  and  among  them,  on  the  way  from 
Portsmouth  to  the  Isle  of  "Wight,  is  extremely 
imposing.  Indeed,  when  considered  by  a  mind 
capable  of  understanding  in  some  degree  the 
vast  magnitude  and  extension  of  the  power 
which  lies  thus  reposing  there,  the  spectacle 
becomes  trulv  sublime. 


150  Peter  the  Great.        [1697. 

Grand  naval  spectacle.  Present  of  a  yacht.  Peter  sets  sail. 

In  order  to  give  Peter  a  favorable  opportu- 
nity to  see  the  fleet  at  Spithead,  the  King  of 
England  commissioned  the  admiral  in  command 
of  the  navy  to  accompany  him  to  Portsmouth, 
and  to  put  the  fleet  to  sea,  with  the  view  of 
exhibiting  a  mock  naval  engagement  in  the 
Channel.  Nothing  could  exceed  the  pleasure 
which  this  spectacle  afforded  to  the  Czar.  He 
expressed  his  admiration  of  it  in  the  most  glow- 
ing terms,  and  said  that  he  verily  believed  that 
an  admiral  of  the  English  fleet  was  a  happier 
man  than  the  Czar  of  Muscovy. 

At  length,  when  the  time  arrived  for  Peter 
to  set  out  on  his  return  to  his  own  dominions, 
the  King  of  England  made  him  a  present  of  a 
beautiful  yacht,  which  had  been  built  for  his 
own  use  in  his  voyages  between  England  and 
Holland.  The  name  of  the  yacht  was  the 
Royal  Transport.  It  was  an  armed  vessel, 
carrying  twenty -four  guns,  and  was  well-built, 
and  richly  finished  and  furnished  in  every  re- 
spect. The  Czar  set  sail  from  England  in  this 
yacht,  taking  with  him  the  companions  that  he 
had  brought  with  him  into  England,  and  also 
a  considerable  number  of  the  persons  whom  he 
had  engaged  to  enter  into  his  service  in  Eussia. 
Some  of  these  persons  were  to  be  employed  in 
the  building  of  ships,  and  others  in  the  con- 


1697.]  Conclusion  of  the  Tour.  151 

His  treatment  of  his  -workmen.  Wage3  retained.  The  engineer. 

struction  of  a  canal  to  connect  the  Kiver  Don 
with  the  Kiver  Wolga.  The  Don  flows  into 
the  Black  and  the  Wolga  into  the  Caspian  Sea, 
and  the  object  of  the  canal  was  to  allow  Peter's 
vessels  to  pass  from  one  sea  into  the  other  at 
pleasure.  As  soon  as  the  canal  should  be 
opened,  ships  could  be  built  on  either  river  for 
use  in  either  sea. 

The  persons  who  had  been  engaged  for  these 
various  purposes  were  promised,  of  course,  very 
large  rewards  to  induce  them  to  leave  their  coun- 
try. Many  of  them  afterward  had  occasion  bit- 
terly to  regret  their  having  entered  the  service 
of  such  a  master.  They  complained  that,  after 
their  arrival  in  Eussia,  Peter  treated  them  in  a 
very  unjust  and  arbitrary  manner.  They  were 
held  as  prisoners  more  than  as  salaried  work- 
men, being  very  closely  watched  and  guarded 
to  prevent  their  making  their  escape  and  going 
back  to  their  own  country  before  finishing  what 
Peter  wished  them  to  do.  Then,  a  large  por- 
tion of  their  pay  was  kept  back,  on  the  plea  that 
it  was  necessary  for  the  emperor  to  have  se- 
curity in  his  own  hands  for  their  fidelity  in  the 
performance  of  their  work,  and  for  their  remain- 
ing at  their  posts  until  their  work  was  done. 
There  was  one  gentleman  in  particular,  a  Scotch 
mathematician  and  engineer,  who  had  been  edu- 


152  Peter  the  Great.         [1697. 

Voyage  to  Holland.     Peter  rejoins  the  embassy.     The  Emperor  Leopold. 

cated  at  the  University  of  Aberdeen,  that  com- 
plained of  the  treatment  which  he  received  in 
a  full  and  formal  protest,  which  he  addressed 
to  Peter  in  writing,  and  which  is  still  on  record. 
He  makes  out  a  very  strong  case  in  respect  to 
the  injustice  with  which  he  was  treated. 

But,  however  disappointed  these  gentlemen 
may  have  been  in  the  end,  they  left  England  in 
the  emperor's  beautiful  yacht,  much  elated  with 
the  honor  they  had  received  in  being  selected 
by  such  a  potentate  for  the  execution  of  im- 
portant trusts  in  a  distant  land,  and  with  high 
anticipations  of  the  fame  and  fortune  which 
they  expected  to  acquire  before  the  time  should 
arrive  for  them  to  return  to  their  own  country. 
From  'England  the  yacht  sailed  to  Holland, 
where  Peter  disembarked,  in  order  to  join  the 
embassy  and  accompany  them  in  their  visits  to 
some  other  courts  in  Central  Europe  before  re- 
turning home. 

He  first  went  to  Yienna.  He  still  nominally 
preserved  his  incognito ;  but  the  Emperor  Leo- 
pold, who  was  at  that  time  the  Emperor  of  Ger- 
many, gave  him  a  very  peculiar  sort  of  recep- 
tion. He  came  out  to  the  door  of  his  ante- 
chamber to  meet  Peter  at  the  head  of  a  certain 
back  staircase  communicating  with  the  apart- 
ment, which  was  intended  for  his  own  private 


1697]  Conclusion  of  the  Tour.  153 

Interview  with  the  Emperor  of  Germany.  Feasts  and  festivities. 

use.  Peter  was  accompanied  by  General  Le 
Fort,  the  chief  embassador,  at  this  interview, 
and  he  was  conducted  up  the  staircase  by  two 
grand  officers  of  the  Austrian  court — the  grand 
chamberlain  and  the  grand  equerry.  After  the 
two  potentates  had  been  introduced  to  each 
other,  the  emperor,  who  had  taken  off  his  hat 
to  bow  to  the  Czar,  put  it  on  again,  but  Peter 
remained  uncovered,  on  the  ground  that  he  was 
not  at  that  time  acting  in  his  own  character  as 
Czar.  The  emperor,  seeing  this,  took  off  his 
hat  again,  and  both  remained  uncovered  during 
the  interview. 

After  this  a  great  many  parades  and  celebra- 
tions took  place  in  Vienna,  all  ostensibly  in 
honor  of  the  embassy,  but  "really  and  truly  in 
honor  of  Peter  himself,  who  still  preserved  his 
incognito.  At  many  of  these  festivities  Peter 
attended,  taking  his  place  with  the  rest  of  the 
subordinates  in  the  train  of  the  embassy,  but 
he  never  appeared  in  his  own  true  character. 
Still  he  was  known,  and  he  was  the  object  of  a 
great  many  indirect  but  very  marked  attentions. 
On  one  occasion,  for  example,  there  was  a  mask- 
ed ball  in  the  palace  of  the  emperor ;  Peter  ap- 
peared there  dressed  as  a  peasant  of  West  Fries- 
land,  which  is  a  part  of  North  Holland,  where 
the  costumes  worn  by  the  common  people  were 


HA 

Peter  the  Great.         [1697. 

Ceremonies. 

Bad  tidings.                             Plans  changed. 

then,  as  indeed  they  are  at  the  present  day,  very 
marked  and  peculiar.  The  Emperor  of  Ger- 
many appeared  also  at  this  ball  in  a  feigned 
character — that  of  a  host  at  an  entertainment, 
and  he  had  thirty-two  pages  in  attendance  upon 
him,  all  dressed  as  butlers.  In  the  course  of 
the  evening  one  of  the  pages  brought  out  to 
the  emperor  a  very  curious  and  costly  glass, 
which  he  filled  with  wine  and  presented  to  the 
emperor,  who  then  approached  Peter  and  drank 
to  the  health  of  the  peasant  of  West  Friesland, 
saying  at  the  same  time,  with  a  meaning  look, 
that  he  was  well  aware  of  the  inviolable  affec- 
tion which  the  peasant  felt  for  the  Czar  of  Mus- 
covy. Peter,  in  return,  drank  to  the  health  of 
the  host,  saying  he  was  aware  of  the  inviolable 
affection  he  felt  for  the  Emperor  of  Germany. 

These  toasts  were  received  by  the  whole 
company  with  great  applause,  and  after  they 
were  drunk  the  emperor  gave  Peter  the  curious 
glass  from  which  he  had  drunk,  desiring  him 
to  keep  it  as  a  souvenir  of  the  occasion. 

These  festivities  in  honor  of  the  embassy  at 
Vienna  were  at  length  suddenly  interrupted 
by  the  arrival  of  tidings  from  Moscow  that  a 
rebellion  had  broken  out  there  against  Peter's 
government.  This  intelligence  changed  at  once 
all  Peter's  plans.     He  had  intended  to  go  to 


1697.]  Conclusion   of  the   Tour.  155 

Designs  abandoned.  Return  to  Moscow. 

Yenice  and  to  Kome,  but  he  now  at  once  aban- 
doned these  designs,  and  setting  out  abruptly 
from  Vienna,  with  General  Le  Fort,  and  a  train 
of  about  thirty  persons,  he  traveled  with  the' 
utmost  possible  dispatch  to  Moscow. 


156  Peter  the  Great.        [1698. 

Precautions  taken  by  the  Czar.  His  uneasiness. 


Chapter  VIII. 
The  Eebellion. 

IT  will  be  recollected  by  the  reader  that 
Peter,  before  he  set  out  on  his  tour,  took 
every  possible  precaution  to  guard  against  the 
danger  of  disturbances  in  his  dominions  during 
his  absence.  The  Princess  Sophia  was  closely 
confined  in  her  convent.  All  that  portion  of 
the  old  Eussian  Guards  that  he  thought  most 
likely  to  be  dissatisfied  with  his  proposed  re- 
forms, and  to  take  part  with  Sophia,  he  removed 
to  fortresses  at  a  great  distance  from  Moscow. 
Moscow  itself  was  garrisoned  with  troops  se- 
lected expressly  with  reference  to  their  sup- 
posed fidelity  to  his  interests,  and  the  men  who 
were  to  command  them,  as  well  as  the  great 
civil  officers  to  whom  the  administration  of  the 
government  was  committed  during  his  absence, 
were  appointed  on  the  same  principle. 

But,  notwithstanding  all  these  precautions, 
Peter  did  not  feel  entirely  safe.  He  was  well 
aware  of  Sophia's  ambition,  and  of  her  skill  in 
intrigue,  and  during  the  whole  progress  of  his 
tour  he  anxiously  watched  the  tidings  which 


1698.]  The  Kebellion.  157 

, «. 

His  fury  against  his  enemies.  His  revolting  appearance. 

he  received  from  Moscow,  ready  to  return  at  a 
moment's  warning  in  case  of  necessity.  He 
often  spoke  on  this  subject  to  those  with  whom 
he  was  on  terms  of  familiar  intercourse.  On 
such  occasions  he  would  get  into  a  great  rage 
in  denouncing  his  enemies,  and  in  threatening 
vengeance  against  them  in  case  they  made  any 
movement  to  resist  his  authority  while  he  was 
away.  At  such  times  he  would  utter  most 
dreadful  imprecations  against  those  who  should 
dare  to  oppose  him,  and  would  work  himself 
up  into  such  a  fury  as  to  give  those  who  con- 
versed with  him  an  exceedingly  unfavorable 
opinion  of  his  temper  and  character.  The  ugly 
aspect  which  his  countenance  and  demeanor 
exhibited  at  such  times  was  greatly  aggravated 
by  a  nervous  affection  of  the  head  and  face 
which  attacked  him,  particularly  when  he  was 
in  a  passion,  and  which  produced  convulsive 
twitches  of  the  muscles  that  drew  his  head  by 
jerks  to  one  side,  and  distorted  his  face  in  a 
manner  that  was  dreadful  to  behold.  It  was 
said  that  this  disorder  was  first  induced  in  his 
childhood  by  some  one  of  the  terrible  frights 
through  which  he  passed.  However  this  may 
have  been,  the  affection  seemed  to  increase  as 
he  grew  older,  and  as  the  attacks  of  it  were 
most  decided  and  violent  when  he  was  in  a 


158  Peter  the  Great.         [1698. 

^ 

Imperfect  communication.  Conspiracy.  Arguments  used. 

passion,  they  had  the  effect,  in  connection  with 
his  coarse  and  dreadful  language  and  violent 
demeanor,  to  make  him  appear  at  such  times 
more  like  some  ugly  monster  of  fiction  than 
like  a  man. 

The  result,  in  respect  to  the  conduct  of  his 
enemies  during  his  absence,  was  what  he  feared. 
After  he  had  been  gone  away  for  some  months 
they  began  to  conspire  against  him.  The  means 
of  communication  between  different  countries 
were  quite  imperfect  in  those  days,  so  that  very 
little  exact  information  came  back  to  Eussia  in 
respect  to  the  emperor's  movements.  The  no- 
bles who  were  opposed  to  him  began  to  repre- 
sent to  the  people  that  he  had  gone  nobody 
knew  where,  and  that  it  was  wholly  uncertain 
whether  he  would  ever  return.  Besides,  if  he 
did  return,  they  said  it  would  only  be  to  bring 
with  him  a  fresh  importation  of  foreign  favor- 
ites and  foreign  manners,  and  to  proceed  more 
vigorously  than  ever  in  his  work  of  superseding 
and  subverting  all  the  good  old  customs  of  the 
land,  and  displacing  the  ancient  native  families 
from  all  places  of  consideration  and  honor,  in 
order  to  make  room  for  the  swarms  of  misera- 
ble foreign  adventurers  that  he  would  bring 
home  with  him  in  his  train. 

By  these  and  similar  representations  the  op- 


1698.]  The  Kebellion.  159 

Details  of  the  plot.  Pretext  of  the  Guards. 

position  so  far  increased  and  strengthened  their 
party  that,  at  length,  they  matured  their  ar- 
rangements for  an  open  outbreak.  Their  plan 
was,  first,  to  take  possession  of  the  city  by 
means  of  the  Guards,  who  were  to  be  recalled 
for  this  purpose  from  their  distant  posts,  and 
by  their  assistance  to  murder  all  the  foreigners. 
They  were  then  to  issue  a  proclamation  declar- 
ing that  Peter,  by  leaving  the  country  and  re- 
maining so  long  away,  had  virtually  abdicated 
the  government ;  and  also  a  formal  address  to 
the  Princess  Sophia,  calling  upon  her  to  ascend 
the  throne  in  his  stead. 

In  executing  this  plan,  negotiations  were  first 
cautiously  opened  with  the  Guards,  and  they 
readily  acceded  to  the  proposals  made  to  them. 
A  committee  of  three  persons  was  appointed  to 
draw  up  the  address  to  Sophia,  and  the  precise 
details  of  the  movements  which  were  to  take 
place  on  the  arrival  of  the  Guards  at  the  gates 
of  Moscow  were  all  arranged.  The  Guards,  of 
course,  required  some  pretext  for  leaving  their 
posts  and  coming  toward  the  city,  independent 
of  the  real  cause,  for  the  conspirators  within  the 
city  were  not  prepared  to  rise  and  declare  the 
throne  vacant  until  the  Guards  had  actually  ar- 
rived. Accordingly,  while  the  conspirators  re- 
mained quiet,  the  Guards  began  to  complain  of 


160  Peter  the  Great.        [1698. 

They  commence  their  march.  Alarm  in  Moscow. 

various  grievances  under  which  they  suffered, 
particularly  that  they  were  not  paid  their  wages 
regularly,  and  they  declared  their  determina- 
tion to  march  to  Moscow  and  obtain  redress. 
The  government — that  is,  the  regency  that  Pe- 
ter had  left  in  charge — sent  out  deputies,  who 
attempted  to  pacify  them,  but  could  not  suc- 
ceed. The  Guards  insisted  that  they  would  go 
with  their  complaints  to  Moscow.  They  com- 
menced  their  march.  The  number  of  men  was 
about  ten  thousand.  They  pretended  that  they 
.were  only  going  to  the  city  to  represent  their 
case  themselves  directly  to  the  government,  and 
then  to  march  back  again  in  a  peaceable  man- 
ner. They  wished  to  know,  too,  they  said, 
what  had  become  of  the  Czar.  They  could  not 
depend  upon  the  rumors  which  came  to  them 
at  so  great  a  distance,  and  they  were  determ- 
ined to  inform  themselves  on  the  spot  whether 
he  were  alive  or  dead,  and  when  he  was  com- 
ing home. 

The  deputies  returned  with  all  speed  to  Mos- 
cow, and  reported  that  the  Guards  were  on  their 
march  in  full  strength  toward  the  city.  The 
whole  city  was  thrown  into  a  state  of  conster- 
nation. Many  of  the  leading  families,  antici- 
pating serious  trouble,  moved  away.  Others 
packed  up  and  concealed  their  valuables.     The 


1698.]  The  Rebellion.  161 

General  Gordon.  A  parley  with  the  rebels, 

government,  too,  though  not  yet  suspecting  the 
real  design  of  the  Guards  in  the  movement 
which  they  were  making,  were  greatly  alarm- 
ed. They  immediately  ordered  a  large  armed 
force  to  go  and  meet  the  insurgents.  This  force 
was  commanded  by  General  Gordon,  the  officer 
whom  Peter  had  made  general-in-chief  of  the 
army  before  he  set  out  on  his  tour. 

General  Gordon  came  up  with  the  rebels 
about  forty  miles  from  Moscow.  As  soon  as 
he  came  near  to  them  he  halted,  and  sent  for- 
ward a  deputation  from  his  camp  to  confer  with 
the  leaders,  in  the  hope  of  coming  to  some  ami- 
cable settlement  of  the  difficulty.  This  deputa- 
tion consisted  of  Russian  nobles  of  ancient  and 
established  rank  and  consideration  in  the  coun- 
try, who  had  volunteered  to  accompany  the 
general  in  his  expedition.  General  Gordon 
himself  was  one  of  the  hated  foreigners,  and  of 
course  his  appearance,  if  he  had  gone  himself 
to  negotiate  with  the  rebels,  would  have  per- 
haps only  exasperated  and  inflamed  them  more 
than  ever. 

The  dejmtation  held  a  conference  with  the 
leaders  of  the  Guards,  and  made  them  very  con- 
ciliatory offers.  They  promised  that  if  they 
would  return  to  their  duty  the  government 
would  not  only  overlook  the  serious  offense 
L 


1G2  Peter  the   Geeat.         [1698. 

Influence  of  the  Church.  The  clergy  on  the  side  of  the  rebels'. 

which,  they  had  committed  in  leaving  their 
posts  and  marching  upon  Moscow,  but  would 
inquire  into  and  redress  all  their  grievances. 

But  the  Guards  refused  to  be  satisfied.  They 
were  determined,  they  said,  to  march  to  Mos- 
cow. They  wished  to  ascertain  for  themselves 
whether  Peter  was  dead  or  alive,  and  if  alive, 
what  had  become  of  him.  They  therefore  were 
going  on,  and,  if  General  Gordon  and  his  troops 
attempted  to  oppose  them,  they  would  fight  it 
out  and  see  which  was  the  strongest. 

In  civil  commotions  of  this  kind  occurring 
in  any  of  the  ancient  non-Protestant  countries 
in  Europe,  it  is  always  a  question  of  the  utmost 
moment  which  side  the  Church  and  the  clergy 
espouse.  It  is  true  that  the  Church  and  the 
clergy  do  not  fight  themselves,  and  so  do  not 
add  any  thing  to  the  physical  strength  of  the 
party  which  they  befriend,  but  they  add  enor- 
mously to  its  moral  strength,  that  is,  to  its  con- 
fidence and  courage.  Men  have  a  sort  of  in- 
stinctive respect  and  fear  for  constituted  au- 
thorities of  any  kind,  and,  though  often  willing 
to  plot  against  them,  are  still  very  apt  to  falter 
and  fall  back  when  the  time  comes  for  the  actual 
collision.  The  feeling  that,  after  all,  they  are  in 
the  wrong  in  fighting  against  the  government 
of  their  country,  weakens  them  cxtremelv,  and 


1698.]  The   Rebellion.  163 

Conservatism.  The  Russian  clergy 

makes  them  ready  to  abandon  the  struggle  in 
panic  and  dismay  on  the  first  unfavorable  turn 
of  fortune.  But  if  they  have  the  Church  and 
the  clergy  on  their  side,  this  state  of  things  is 
quite  changed.  The  sanction  of  religion — the 
thought  that  they  are  fighting  in  the  cause  of 
God  and  of  duty,  nerves  their  arms,  and  gives 
them  that  confidence  in  the  result  which  is  al- 
most essential  to  victory. 

It  was  so  in  this  case.  There  was  no  class 
in  the  community  more  opposed  to  the  Czar's 
proposed  improvements  and  reforms  than  the 
Church.  Indeed,  it  is  always  so.  The  Church 
and  the  clergy  are  always  found  in  these  coun- 
tries on  the  side  of  opposition  to  progress  and 
improvement.  It  is  not  that  they  are  really 
opposed  to  improvement  itself  for  its  own  sake, 
but  that  they  are  so  afraid  of  change.  They 
call  themselves  Conservatives,  and  wish  to  pre- 
serve every  thing  as  it.  is.  They  hate  the  pro- 
cess of  pulling  down.  Now,  if  a  thing  is  good, 
it  is  better,  of  course,  to  preserve  it ;  but,  on  the 
other  hand,  if  it  is  bad,  it  is  better  that  it  should 
be  pulled  down.  .  When,  therefore,  you  are 
asked  whether  you  are  a  Conservative  or  not, 
reply  that  that  depends  upon  the  character  of 
the  institution  or  the  usage  which  is  attacked. 
If  it  is  good,  let  it  stand.  If  it  is  bad,  let  it  be 
destroved. 


164:  Peter  the   Great.         [1698. 

The  armies  prepare  for  battle. 

In  the  case  of  Peter's  proposed  improvements 
and  reforms  the  Church  and  the  clergy  were 
Conservatives  of  the  most  determined  character. 
Of  course,  the  plotters  of  the  conspiracy  in  Mos- 
cow were  in  communication  with  the  patriarch 
and  the  leading  ecclesiastics  in  forming  their 
plans;  and  in  arranging  for  the  marching  of 
the  Guards  to  the  capital  they  took  care  to  have 
priests  with  them  to  encourage  them  in  the 
movement,  and  to  assure  them  that  in  opposing 
the  present  government  and  restoring  Sophia 
to  power  they  were  serving  the  cause  of  God 
and  religion  by  promoting  the  expulsion  from 
the  country  of  the  infidel  foreigners  that  were 
coming  in  in  such  numbers,  and  subverting  all 
the  good  old  usages  and  customs  of  the  realm. 

It  was  this  sympathy  on  the  part  of  the  clergy 
which  gave  the  officers  and  soldiers  of  the 
Guards  their  courage  and  confidence  in  daring 
to  persist  in  their  march  to  Moscow  in  defiance 
of  the  army  of  General  Gordon,  brought  out  to 
oppose  them. 

The  two  armies  approached  each  other.  Gen- 
eral Gordon,  as  is  usual  in  such  cases,  ordered 
a  battery  of  artillery  which  he  had  brought  up 
in  the  road  before  the  Guards  to  fire,  but  he 
directed  that  the  guns  should  be  pointed  so 
kisrh  that  the  balls  should  ero  over  the  heads  of 


1698.]  The  Kebellion.  165 

The  insurgents  defeated.  Massacre  of  prisoners. 

tlie  enemy.  His  object  was  to  intimidate  them. 
But  the  effect  was  the  contrary.  The  priests, 
who  had  come  into  the  army  of  the  insurgents 
to  encourage  them  in  the  fight,  told  them  that 
a  miracle  had  been  performed.  God  had  avert- 
ed the  balls  from  them,  they  said.  They  were 
fighting  for  the  honor  of  his  cause  and  for  the 
defense  of  his  holy  religion,  and  they  might 
rely  upon  it  that  he  would  not  suffer  them  to 
be  harmed. 

But  these  assurances  of  the  priests  proved,  un- 
fortunately for  the  poor  Guards,  to  be  entirely 
unfounded.  "When  General  Gordon  found  that 
firing  over  the  heads  of  the  rebels  did  no  good, 
he  gave  up  at  once  all  hope  of  any  adjustment 
of  the  difficulty,  and  he  determined  to  restrain 
himself  no  longer,  but  to  put  forth  the  whole 
of  his  strength,  and  kill  and  destroy  all  before 
him  in  the  most  determined  and  merciless  man- 
ner. A  furious  battle  followed,  in  which  the 
Guards  were  entirely  defeated.  Two  or  three 
thousand  of  them  were  killed,  and  all  the  rest 
were  surrounded  and  made  prisoners. 

The  first  step  taken  by  General  Gordon,  with 
the  advice  of  the  Eussian  nobles  who  had  ac- 
companied him,  was  to  count  off  the  prisoners 
and  hang  every  tenth  man.  The  next  was  to 
put  the  .officers  to  the  torture,  in  order  to  com- 


166  Peter  the  Geeat.        [1698. 

Confession.  Peter's  arrival  at  Moscow.  His  terrible  severity. 

pel  them  to  confess  what  their  real  object  was 
in  marching  to  Moscow.  After  enduring  their 
tortures  as  long  as  human  nature  could  bear 
them,  they  confessed  that  the  movement  was  a 
concerted  one,  made  in  connection  with  a  con- 
spiracy within  the  city,  and  that  the  object  was 
to  subvert  the  present  government,  and  to  lib- 
erate the  Princess  Sophia  and  place 'her  upon 
the  throne.  They  also  gave  the  names  of  a 
number  of  prominent  persons  in  Moscow  who, 
they  said,  were  the  leaders  of  the  conspiracy. 

It  was  in  this  state  of  the  affair  that  the  tid- 
ings of  what  had  occurred  reached  Peter  in  Vi- 
enna, as  is 'related  in  the  last  chapter.  He  im- 
mediately set  out  on  his  return  to  Moscow  in  a 
state  of  rage  and  fury  against  the  rebels  that  it 
would  be  impossible  to  describe.  As  he  ar- 
rived at  the  capital,  he  commenced  an  inquisi- 
tion into  the  affair  by  putting  every  body  to 
the  torture  whom  he  supposed  to  be  implicated 
as  a  leader  in  it.  From  the  agony  of  these  suf- 
ferers he  extorted  the  names  of  innumerable 
victims,  who,  as  fast  as  they  were  named,  were 
seized  and  put  to  death.  There  were  a  great 
many  of  the  ancient  nobles  thus  condemned,  a 
great  many  ladies  of  high  rank,  and  large  num- 
bers of  priests.  These  persons  were  all  exe- 
cuted, or  rather  massacred,  in  the  most  reckless 


1698.]  The  Kebellion.  169 

Peter  becomes  hiniiself  an  executioner.  The  Guards. 

and  merciless  manner.  Some  were  beheaded ; 
some  were  broken  on  the  wheel,  and  then  left 
to  die  in  horrible  agonies.  Many  were  buried 
alive,  their  heads  only  being  left  above  the 
ground.  It  is  said  that  Peter  took  such  a  sav- 
age delight  in  these  punishments,  that  he  exe- 
cuted many  of  the  victims  with  his  own  hands. 
At  one  time,  when  half  intoxicated  at  a  ban- 
quet, he  ordered  twenty  of  his  prisoners  to  be 
brought  in,  and  then,  with  his  brandy  before 
him,  which  was  his  favorite  drink,  and  which 
he  often  drank  to  excess,  he  caused  them  to  be 
led,  one  after  another,  to  the  block,  that  he 
might  cut  off  their  heads  himself.  He  took  a 
drink  of  brandy  after  each  execution  while  the 
officers  were  bringing  forward  the  next  man. 
He  was  just  an  hour,  it  was  said,  in  cutting  off 
the  twenty  heads,  which  allows  of  an  average 
of  three  minutes  to  each  man.  This  story  is 
almost  too  horrible  to  be  believed,  but,  unfor- 
tunately, it  comports  too  well  with  the  general 
character  which  Peter  has  always  sustained  in 
the  opinion  of  mankind  in  respect  to  the  des- 
perate and  reckless  cruelty  to  which  he  could 
be  aroused  under  the  influence  of  intoxication 
and  anger. 

About  two  thousand  of  the  Guards  were  be- 
headed.    The  bodies  of  these  men  were  laid 


170  Peter  the  Great.         [1698. 

Gibbets.  The  writer  of  the  address  to  Sophia. 

upon  the  ground  in  a  public  place,  arranged. in 
rows,  with  their  heads  lying  beside  them.  They 
covered  more  than  an  acre  of  ground.  Here 
they  were  allowed  to  lie  ail  the  remainder  of 
the  winter,  as  long,  in  fact,  as  the  flesh  con- 
tinued frozen,  and  then,  when  the  spring  came 
on,  they  were  thrown  together  into  a  deep 
ditch,  dug  to  receive  them,  and  thus  were 
buried. 

There  were  also  a  great  number  of  gibbets 
set  up  on  all  the  roads  leading  to  Moscow,  and 
upon  these  gibbets  men  were  hung,  and  the 
bodies  allowed  to  remain  there,  like  the  be- 
headed Guards  upon  the  ground,  until  the 
spring. 

As  for  the  Princess  Sophia,  she  was  still  in 
the  convent  where  Peter  had  placed  her,  the 
conspirators  not  having  reached  the  point  of 
liberating  her  before  their  plot  was  discovered. 
Peter,  however,  caused  the  three  authors  of  the 
address,  which  was  to  have  been  made  to  So- 
phia, calling  upon  her  to  assume  the  crown,  to 
be  sent  to  the  convent,  and  there  hung  before 
Sophia's  windows.  And  then,  by  his  orders, 
the  arm  of  the  principal  man  among  them  was 
cut  off,  the  address  was  put  into  his  hand,  and, 
when  the  fingers  had  stiffened  around  it,  the 
limb  was  fixed  to  the  wall  in  Sophia's  cham- 


1698.]  The  Rebellion.  171 

The  old  Russian  nobility.  Arrival  of  artisans. 

ber,  as  if  in  the  act  of  offering  lier  the  address, 
and  ordered  to  remain  so  until  the  address 
should  drop,  of  itself,  upon  the  floor. 

Such  were  the  horrible  means  by  which  Pe- 
ter attempted  to  strike  terror  into  his  subjects, 
and  to  put  down  the  spirit  of  conspiracy  and 
rebellion.  He  doubtless  thought  that  it  was 
only  by  such  severities  as  these  that  the  end 
could  be  effectually  attained.  At  all  events, 
the  end  was  attained.  The  rebellion  was  com- 
pletely suppressed,  and  all  open  opposition  to 
the  progress  of  the  Czar's  proposed  improve- 
ments and  reforms  ceased.  The  few  leading 
nobles  who  adhered  to  the  old  customs  and 
usages  of  the  realm  retired  from  all  connection 
with  public  affairs,  and  lived  thenceforth  in 
seclusion,  mourning,  like  good  Conservatives, 
.  the  triumph  of  the  spirit  of  radicalism  and  in- 
novation which  was  leading  the  country,  as 
they  thought,  to  certain  ruin.  The  old  Guards, 
whom  it  had  been  proved  so  utterly  impossible 
to  bring  over  to  Peter's  views,  were  disbanded, 
and  other  troops,  organized  on  a  different  sys- 
tem, were  •embodied  in  their  stead.  By  this 
time  the  English  ship-builders,  and  the  other 
mechanics  and  artisans  that  Peter  had  engaged, 
begair  to  arrive  in  the  country,  and  the  way 
was  open  for  the  emperor  to  go  on  vigorously 


172  Peteii  the  Great.         [1698. 

Retirement  of  Sophia.  Her  death. 

in  the  accomplishment  of  his  favorite  and  long- 
cherished  plans. 

The  Princess  Sophia,  worn  ont  with  the  agi- 
tations and  dangers  through  which  she  had 
passed,  and  crushed  in  spirit  by  the  dreadful 
scenes  to  which  her  brother  had  exposed  her, 
now  determined  to  withdraw  wholly  from  the 
scene.  She  took  the  veil  in  the  convent  where 
she  was  confined,  and  went  as  a  nun  into  the 
cloisters  with  the  other  sisters.  The  name  that 
she  assumed  was  Marpha. 

Of  course,  all  her  ambitious  aspirations  were 
now  forever  extinguished,  and  the  last  gleam 
of  earthly  hope  faded  away  from  her  mind. 
She  pined  away  under  the  influences  of  disap- 
pointment, hopeless  vexation,  and  bitter  grief 
for  about  six  years,  and  then  the  nuns  of  the 
consent  followed  the  body  of  sister  Marpha  to 
the  tomb. 


1700.]  Eefokms.  173 


Peter  begins  hi3  proposed  reforms. 


Chapter  IX. 

Eefokms. 

AS  soon  as  Peter  had  sufficiently  glutted 
his  vengeance  on  those  whom  he  chose 
to  consider,  whether  justly  or  unjustly,  as  im- 
plicated hi  the  rebellion,  he  turned  his  atten- 
tion at  once  to  the  work  of  introducing  the  im- 
provements and  reforms  which  had  been  sug- 
gested to  him  by  what  he  had  seen  in  the 
western  countries  of  Europe.  There  was  a 
great  deal  of  secret  hostility  to  the  changes 
which  he  thus  wished  to  make,  although  every 
thing  like  open  opposition  to  his  will  had  been 
effectually  put  down  by  the  terrible  severity 
of  his  dealings  with  the  rebels.  He  continued 
to  urge  his  plans  of  reform  during  the  whole 
course  of  his  reign,  and  though  he  met  from  ■ 
time  to  time  with  a  great  variety  of  difficulties 
in  his  efforts  to  carry  them  into  effect,  he  was 
in  the  end  triumphantly  successful  in  establish- 
ing and  maintaining  them.  I  shall  proceed  to 
give  a  general  account  of  these  reforms  in  this 
chapter,  notwithstanding  that  the  work  of  in- 
troducing them  extended  over  a  period  of 
many  years  subsequent  to  this  time. 


174  Peter  the  Great.         [1700. 

Eemodeling  the  army.  Changes  of  dress. 

The  first  thing  to  which  the  Czar  gave  his 
attention  was  the  complete  remodeling  of  his 
army.  He  established  new  regiments  in  place 
of  the  old  Guards,  and  put  his  whole  army  on 
a  new  footing.  He  abolished  the  dress  which 
the  Guards  had  been  accustomed  to  wear — an 
ancient  Muscovite  costume,  which,  like  the  dress 
of  the  Highlanders  of  Scotland,  was  strongly 
associated  in  the  minds  of  the  men  with  ancient 
national  customs,  many  of  which  the  emperor 
now  wished  to  abolish.  Instead  of  this  old 
costume  the  emperor  dressed  his  new  troops 
in  a  modern  military  uniform.  This  was  not 
only  much  more  convenient  than  the  old  dress, 
but  the  change  exerted  a  great  influence  in 
disenthralling  the  minds  of  the  men  from  the 
influence  of  old  ideas  and.  associations.  It 
made  them  feel  at  once  as  if  they  were  new 
men,  belonging  to  a  new  age — one  marked  by 
a  new  and  higher  civilization  than  they  had 
been  accustomed  to  in  former  years.  The  ef- 
fect which  was  produced  by  this  simple  change 
was  very  marked — so  great  is  the  influence 
of  dress  and  other  outward  symbols  on  the 
sentiments  of  the  mind  and  on  the  character. 

Peter  had  made  a  somewhat  similar  change 
to  this,  in  the  case  of  his  household  troops  and 
private  body-guard,  at  the  suggestion  of  Gener- 


1700.]  Reforms.  175 

The  officers.  New  appointments. 

al  Le  F©rt,  some  time  previous  to  this  period, 
but  now  he  carried  the  same  reform  into  effect 
in  respect  to  his  whole  army. 

In  addition  to  these  improvements  in  the 
dress  and  discipline  of  the  men,  Peter  adopted 
an  entirely  new  system  in  officering  his  troops. 
A  great  many  of  the  old  officers — all  those  who 
were  proved  or  even  suspected  of  being  hostile 
to  him  and  to  his  measures — had  been  behead- 
ed or  sent  into  banishment,  and  others  still  had 
been  dismissed  from  the  service.  Peter  filled 
all  these  vacant  posts  by  bringing  forward  and 
appointing  the  sons  of  the  nobility,  making  his 
selections  from  those  families  who  were  either 
already  inclined  to  his  side,  or  who  he  sup- 
posed might  be  brought  over  by  the  influence 
of  appointments  and  honors  conferred  upon 
their  sons. 

Of  course,  the  great  object  of  the  Czar  in  thus 
reorganizing  his  army  and  increasing  the  mili- 
tary strength  of  the  empire  was  not  the  more 
effectual  protection  of  the  country  from  foreign 
enemies,  or  from  any  domestic  violence  which 
might  threaten  to  disturb  the  peace  or  endan- 
ger the  property  of  the  public,  but  only  the 
confirming  and  perpetuating  his  own  power  as 
the  sovereign  ruler  of  it.  It  is  true  that  such 
potentates  as  Peter  really  desire  that  the  coun- 


176  PlJTEIl    THE    GllEAT.  [1700. 

Motives  and  objects  of  the  Czar.  Means  of  revenue. 

tries  over  which  they  rule  should  prosper,  and 
should  increase  in  wealth  and  population ;  but 
then  they  do  this  usually  only  as  the  proprie- 
tor of  an  estate  might  wish  to  improve  his  prop- 
erty, that  is,  simply  with  an  eye  to  his  own  in- 
terest as  the  owner  of  it.  In  reforming  his 
army,  and  placing  it,  as  he  did,  on  a  new  and 
far  more  efficient  footing  than  before,  Peter's 
main  inducement  was  to  increase  and  secure 
his  own  power.  He  wished  also,  doubtless,  to 
preserve  the  peace  of  the  country,  in  order  that 
the  inhabitants  might  go  on  regularly  in  the 
pursuit  of  their  industrial  occupations,  for  their 
ability  to  pay  the  taxes  required  for  the  large 
revenues  which  he  wished  to  raise  would  in- 
crease or  diminish,  he  knew  very  well,  j  ust  in 
proportion  to  the  productiveness  of  the  general 
industry ;  still,  his  own  exaltation  and  grand- 
eur were  the  ultimate  objects  in  view. 

Young  persons,  when  they  read  in  history 
of  the  power  which  many  great  tyrants  have 
exercised,  and  the  atrocious  crimes  which  they 
have  committed  against  the  rights  of  their  fel- 
low-men, sometimes  wonder  how  it  is  that  one 
man  can  acquire  or  retain  so  absolute  a  domin- 
ion over  so  many  millions  as  to  induce  them 
to  kill  each  other  in  such  vast  numbers  at  his 
bidding:  for,  of  course,  it  is  but  a  verv  small 


1700.]  Eeforms.  177 

Mysterious  power.  The  secret  of  it. 

number  of  the  victims  of  a  tyrant's  injustice  or 
cruelty  that  are  executed  by  his  -own  hand.  How 
is  it,  then,  that  one  weak  and  often  despicable 
and  Hateful  man  can  acquire  and  retain  such  an 
ascendency  over  those  that  stand  around  him, 
that  they  shall  all  be  ready  to  draw  their  swords 
instantaneously  at  his  bidding,  and  seize  and 
destroy,  without  hesitation  and  without  mercy, 
whomsoever  he  may  choose  to  designate  as  the 
object  of  his  rage  and  vengeance?  How  is  it 
that  the  wealthiest,  the  most  respected,  and  the 
most  popular  citizens  of  the  state,  though  sur- 
rounded with  servants  and  with  multitudes  of 
friends,  have  no  power  to  resist  when  one  of 
these  Neros  conceives  the  idea  of  striking  him 
down,  but  must  yield  without  a  struggle  to  his 
fate,  as  if  to  inevitable  destiny  ? 

The  secret  of  this  extraordinary  submission 
of  millions  to  one  is  always  an  army.  The 
tj^rant,  under  the  "pretense  of  providing  the 
means  for  the  proper  execution  of  just  and 
righteous  laws,  and  the  maintenance  of  peace 
and  order  in  the  community,  organizes  an  army. 
He  contrives  so  to  arrange  and  regulate  this 
force  as  to  separate  it  completely  from  the  rest 
of  the  community,  so  as  to  extinguish  as  far  as 
possible  all  the  sympathies  which  might  other- 
wise exist  between  the  soldiers  and  the  citizens. 
M 


178  Peter  the  Great.        [1700. 

Management  of  a  standing  army.  Artful  contrivances. 

Marriage  is  discouraged,  so  that  the  troops  may 
not  be  bound  to  the  community  by  any  family 
ties.  The  regiments  are  quartered  in  barracks 
built  and  appropriated  to  their  especial  use,  and 
they  are  continually  changed  from  one  set  of 
barracks  to  another,  in  order  to  prevent  their 
forming  too  intimate  an  acquaintance  with  any 
portion  of  the  community,  or  learning  to  feel 
any  common  interest  or  sympathy  with  them. 
Then,  as  a  reward  for  their  privations,  the  sol- 
diers are  allowed,  with  very  little  remonstrance 
or  restraint,  to  indulge  freely  in  all  such  habits 
of  dissipation  and  vice  as  will  not  at  once  in- 
terfere with  military  discipline,  or  deteriorate 
from  the  efficiency  of  the  whole  body  as  a  mili- 
tary corps.  The  soldiers  soon  learn  to  love  the 
idle  and  dissolute  lives  which  they  are  allowed 
to  lead.  The  officers,  especially  those  in  the 
higher  grades  of  rank,  are  paid  large  salaries, 
are  clothed  in  a  guady  dress  which  is  adorned 
with  many  decorations,  and  they  are  treated 
every  where  with  great  consideration.  Thus 
they  become  devoted  to  the  will  of  the  govern- 
ment, and  lose  gradually  all  regard  for,  and  all 
sympathy  with  the  rights  and  welfare  of  the 
people.  There  is  a  tacit  agreement  between 
them  and  the  government,  by  which  they  are 
bound  to  keep  the  people  in  a  state  of  utter  and 


1700.]  Reforms.  179 

Despotism  versus  freedom.  Policy  of  the  American  people. 

abject  submission  to  the  despot's  will,  while  he, 
on  his  part,  is  bound  to  collect  from  the  people 
thus  subdued  the  sums  of  money  necessary  for 
their  pay.  Thus  it  is  the  standing  army  which 
is  that  great  and  terrible  sword  by  means  of 
which  one  man  is  able  to  strike  awe  into  the 
hearts  of  so  many  millions,  and  hold  them  all 
so  entirely  subject  to  his  will. 

It  is  in  consequence  of  having  observed  the 
effect  of  such  armaments  in  the  despotisms  of 
Europe  and  Asia  that  the  free  governments  of 
modern  times  take  good  care  not  to  allow  large 
standing  armies  to  be  formed.  Instead  of  this 
the  people  organize  themselves  into  armed 
bands,  in  connection  with  which  they  meet  and 
practice  military  evolutions  on  appointed  clays, 
and  then  separate  and  go  back  to  their  wives 
and  to  their  children,  and  to  their  usual  occu- 
pations, while  in  the  despotic  countries  where 
large  standing  armies  are  maintained,  the  peo- 
ple are  strictly  forbidden  to  possess  arms,  or  to 
form  organizations,  or  to  take  measures  of  any 
kind  that  could  tend  to  increase  their  means 
of  defense  against  their  oppressors  in  the  event 
of  a  struggle. 

The  consequence  is,  that  under  the  free  gov- 
ernments of  the  present  day  the  people  arc 
strong   and   the   government   is   weak.      The 


180  Peter  the   Great.         [1700. 

Standing  armies.  The  American  government  is  weak. 

standing  army  of  France  consists  at  the  present 
time*  of  five  hundred  thousand  men,  complete- 
ly armed  and  equipped,  and  devoted  all  the  time 
to  the  study  and  practice  of  the  art  of  war.  By 
means  of  this  force  one  man  is  able  to  keep  the 
whole  population  of  the  country  in  a  state  of 
complete  and  unquestioning  submission  to  his 
will.  In  the  United  States,  on  the  other  hand, 
with  a  population  nearly  as  great,  the  standing 
army  seldom  amounts  to  an  effective  force  of 
fifteen  thousand  men ;  and  if  a  president  of  the 
United  States  were  to  attempt  by  means  of  it  to 
prolong  his  term  of  office,  or  to  accomplish  any 
other  violent  end,  there  is,  perhaps,  not  a  single 
state  in  the  Union,  the  population  of  which 
would  not  alone  be  able  to  put  him  down — so 
strong  are  the  people  with  us,  and  so  weak,  in  Op- 
position to  them,  the  government  and  the  army. 
It  is  often  made  a  subject  of  reproach  by 
European  writers  and  speakers,  in  commenting 
on  the  state  of  things  in  America,  that  the  gov- 
ernment is  so  weak ;  but  this  we  consider  not 
our  reproach,  but  our  glory.  The  government 
is  indeed  weak.  The  people  take  good  care  to 
keep  it  weak.  But  the  nation  is  not  weak; 
the  nation  is  strong.  The  difference  is,  that  in 
our  country  the  nation  chooses  to  retain  its 
*  1858. 


1700.]                  Reforms. 

181 

The  people  reserve  their  strength.           Peter's  policy. 

The  Church. 

power  in  its  own  hands.  The  people  make  the 
government  strong  enough  from  time  to  time 
for  all  the  purposes  which  they  wish  it  to  ac- 
complish. When  occasion  shall  arise,  the 
strength  thus  to  be  imparted  to  it  may  be  in- 
creased almost  indefinitely,  according  to  the  na- 
ture of  the  emergency.  In  the  mean  time,  the 
people  consider,  themselves  the  safest  deposit- 
ary of  their  reserved  power. 

But  to  return  to  Peter.  Of  course,  his  policy 
was  the  reverse  of  ours.  He  wished  to  make 
his  army  as  efficient  as  possible,  and  to  cut  it 
off  as  completely  as  possible  from  all  commun- 
ion and  sympathy  with  the  people,  so  as  to  keep 
it  in  close  and  absolute  subjection  to  his  own 
individual  will.  The  measures  which  he  adopt- 
ed were  admirably  adapted  to  this  purpose. 
By  means  of  them  he  greatly  strengthened  his 
power,  and  established  it  on  a  firm  and  perma- 
nent basis. 

Peter  did  not  forget  that,  during  the  late  re- 
bellion, the  influence  of  the  Church  and  that 
of  all  the  leading  ecclesiastics  had  been  against 
him.  This  was  necessarily  the  case ;  for,  in  a 
Church  constituted  as  that  of  Russia  then  was, 
the  powers  and  prerogatives  of  the  priests  rest- 
ed, not  on  reason  or  right,  but  on  ancient  cus- 
toms.    The  priests  would  therefore  naturally 


182  Peter  the  Great.        [1700. 

Conservatism  of  the  clergy.  The  patriarch. 

be  opposed  to  all  changes — even  improvements 
— in  the  usages  and  institutions  of  the  realm, 
for  fear  that  the  system  of  reform,  if  once  en- 
tered upon,  might  extend  to  and  interfere  with 
their  ancient  prerogatives  and  privileges.  An 
established  Church  in  any  country,  where,  by 
means  of  the  establishment,  the  priests  or  the 
ministers  hold  positions  which  secure  to  them 
the  possession  of  wealth  or  power,  is  always 
opposed  to  every  species  of  change.  It  hates 
even  the  very  name  of  reform. 

Peter  determined  to  bring  the  Eussian  Church 
more  under  his  own  control.  Up  to  that  time 
it  had  been,  in  a  great  measure,  independent. 
The  head  of  it  was  an  ecclesiastic  of  great  pow- 
er and  dignity,  called  the  Patriarch.  The  ju- 
risdiction of  this  patriarch  extended  over  all 
the  eastern  portion  of  the  Christian  world,  and 
his  position  and  power  were  very  similar  to 
those  of  the  Pope  of  Eome,  who  reigned  over 
the  whole  western  portion. 

Indeed,  so  exalted  was  the  position  and  dig- 
nity of  the  patriarch,  and  so  great  was  the  ven- 
eration in  which  he  was  held  by  the  people, 
that  he  was,  as  it  were,  the  spiritual  sovereign 
of  the  country,  just  as  Peter  was  the  civil  and 
military  sovereign ;  and  on  certain  great  relig- 
ious ceremonies  he  even  took  precedence  of 


1700.]  Reforms.  183 

Ancient  custom.  The  emperor  in  the  procession. 

the  Czar  himself,  and  actually  received  homage 
from  him.  At  one  of  the  great  religious  anni- 
versaries, which  was  always  celebrated  with 
great  pomp  and  parade,  it  was  customary  for 
the  patriarch  to  ride  through  the  street  on 
horseback,  with  the  Czar  walking  before  him 
holding  the  bridle  of  the  horse.  The  bridle 
used  on  these  occasions  was  very  long,  like  a 
pair  of  reins,  and  was  made  of  the  richest  ma- 
terial, and  ornamented  with  golden  embroid- 
ery. The  Czar  walked  on  in  advance,  with  the 
loop  of  the  bridle  lying  over  his  arm.  Then 
came  three  or  four  great  nobles  of  the  court, 
who  held  up  the  reins  behind  the  Czar,  one  of 
them  taking  hold  close  to  the  horse's  head,  so 
as  to  guide  and  control  the  movements  of  the 
animal.  The  patriarch,  who,  as  is  the  custom 
with  priests,  was  dressed  in  long  robes,  which 
prevented  his  mounting  the  horse  in  the  usual 
manner,  sat  upon  a  square  flat  seat  which  was 
placed  upon  the  horse's  back  by  way  of  saddle, 
and  rode  in  that  manner,  with  his  feet  hanging 
down  upon  one  side.  Of  course,  his  hands  were 
at  liberty,  and  with  these  he  held  a  cross,  which 
he  displayed  to  the  people  as  he  rode  along, 
and  gave  them  his  benediction. 

After  the  patriarch,  there  followed,  on  these 
occasions,  an  immensely  long  train  of  priests, 


184  Peter  the   Great.        [1700. 

Emblems.  Peter's  reflections  on  the  subject 

all  clothed  in  costly  and  gorgeous  sacerdotal 
robes,  and  bearing  a  great  number  and  variety 
of  religious  emblems.  Some  carried  very  cost- 
ly copies  of  the  Gospels,  bound  in  gold  and 
adorned  with  precious  stones;  others  crosses, 
and  others  pictures  of  the  Yirgin  Mary.  All 
these  objects  of  veneration  were  enriched  with 
jewels  and  gems  of  the  most  costly  description. 
So  far,  however,  as  these  mere  pageants  and 
ceremonies  were  concerned,  Peter  would  proba- 
bly have  been  very  easily  satisfied,  and  would 
have  made  no  objection  to  paying  such  a  token 
of  respect  to  the  patriarch  as  walking  before 
him  through  the  street  once  a  year,  and  holding 
the  bridle  of  his  horse,  if  this  were  all.  But  he 
saw  very  clearly  that  these  things  were  by  no 
means  to  be  considered  as  mere  outward  show. 
The  patriarch  was  at  the  head  of  a  vast  organ- 
ization, which  extended  throughout  the  em- 
pire, all  the  members  of  which  were  closely 
banded  together  in  a  system  the  discipline  of 
which  made  them  dependent  upon  and  entirely 
devoted  to  their  spiritual  head.  These  priests, 
moreover,  exercised  individually  a  vast  influ- 
ence over  the  people  in  the  towns  and  villages 
where  they  severally  lived  and  performed  their 
functions.  Thus  the  patriarch  wielded  a  great 
and  very  extended  power,  almost  wholly  inde- 


1700.]  Ke  forms.  185 

Peter'3  determination.  He  proceeds  cautiously. 

pendent  of  any  control  on  the  part  of  the  Czar 
— a  power  which  had  already  been  once  turned 
against  him,  and  which  might  at  some  future 
day  become  very  dangerous.  Peter  determ- 
ined at  once  that  he  would  not  allow  such  a 
state  of  things  to  continue. 

He,  however,  resolved  to  proceed  cautiously. 
So  he  waited  quietly  until  the  patriarch  who 
was  then  in  office  died.  Then,  instead  of  al- 
lowing the  bench  of  bishops,  as  usual,  to  elect 
another  in  his  place,  he  committed  the  admin- 
istration of  the  Church  to  an  ecclesiastic  whom 
he  appointed  for  this  purpose  from  among  his 
own  tried  friends.  He  instructed  this  officer, 
who  was  a  very  learned  and  a  very  devout 
man,  to  go  on  as  nearly  as  possible  as  his  pred- 
ecessors, the  patriarchs,  had  done,  in  the  ordi- 
nary routine  of  duty,  so  as  not  to  disturb  the 
Church  by  any  apparent  and  outward  change ; 
but  he  directed  him  to  consider  himself,  the 
Czar,  as  the  real  head  of  the  Church,  and  to  re- 
fer all  important  questions  which  might  arise 
to  him  for  decision.  He  thus,  in  fact,  abrogated 
the  office  of  patriarch,  and  made  himself  the 
supreme  head  of  the  Church. 

The  clergy  throughout  the  empire,  as  soon 
as  they  understood  this  arrangement,  were 
greatly  disturbed,  and  expressed  their  discon- 


It*]  Peter  the  Great.         [1700. 

Contest  with  the  bishops.  Peter  is  victorious. 

tent  and  dissatisfaction  among  themselves  very 
freely.  The  Czar  heard  of  this ;  and,  selecting 
one  of  the  bishops,  who  had  spoken  more  open- 
ly and  decidedly  than  the  rest,  he  ordered  him 
to  be  degraded  from  his  office  for  his  con- 
tumacy. But  this  the  other  bishops  objected 
to  very  strongly.  They  did  not  see,  in  fact, 
they  said,  how  it  could  be  done.  It  was  a 
thing  wholly  unknown  that  a  person  of  the 
rank  and  dignity  of  a  bishop  in  the  Church 
should  be  degraded  from  his  office;  and  that, 
besides,  there  was  no  authority  that  could  de- 
grade him,  for  they  were  all  bishops  of  equal 
rank,  and  no  one  had  any  jurisdiction  or  pow- 
er over  the  others.  Still,  notwithstanding  this, 
they  were  willing,  they  said,  to  sacrifice  their 
brother  if  by  that  means  the  Church  could  be 
saved  from  the  great  dangers  which  were  now 
threatening  her ;  and  they  said  that  they  would 
depose  the  bishop  who  was  accused  on  condi- 
tion that  Peter  would  restore  the  rights  of  the 
Church  which  he  had  suspended,  by  allowing 
them  to  proceed  to  the  election  of  a  new  patri- 
arch, to  take  the  place  of  the  one  who  had 
died. 

Peter  would  not  listen  to  this  proposal ;  but 
he  created  a  new  bishop  expressly  to  depose 
the  one  who  had  offended  him.     The  latter 


1700.]  •  Ee forms.  187 

Other  reforms.  Collection  of  the  revenues. 

was  accordingly  deposed,  and  the  rest  were 
compelled  to  submit.  None  of  them  dared 
any  longer  to  speak  openly  against  the  course 
which  the  Czar  was  pursuing,  but  writings 
were  mysteriously  dropped  about  the  streets 
which  contained  censures  of  his  proceedings  in 
respect  to  the  Church,  and  urged  the  people  to 
resist  them.  Peter  caused  large  rewards  to  be 
immediately  offered  for  the  discovery  of  the 
persons  by  whom  these  writings  were  dropped, 
but  it  was  of  no  avail,  and  at  length  the  ex- 
citement gradually  passed  away,  leaving  the 
victory  wholly  in  Peter's  hands. 

After  this  the  Czar  effected  a  great  many  im- 
portant reforms  in  the  administration  of  the 
affairs  of  the  empire,  especially  in  those  relating 
to  the  government  of  the  provinces,  and  to  the 
collection  of  the  revenues  in  them.  This  busi- 
ness had  been  hitherto  left  almost  wholly  in  the 
hands  of  the  governors,  by  whom  it  had  been 
grossly  mismanaged.  The  governors  had  been 
in  the  habit  both  of  grievously  oppressing  the 
people  in  the  collection  of  the  taxes,  and  also 
of  grossly  defrauding  the  emperor  in  remitting 
the  proceeds  to  the  treasury. 

Peter  now  made  arrangements  for  changing 
the  system  entirely.  He  established  a  central 
office  at  the  capital  for  the  transaction  of  all 


188  Peter  the   Great.         [1700. 

New  revenue  system.  Manners  and  customs  of  the  people. 

business  connected  with  the  collecting  of  the 
revenues,  and  then  appointed  collectors  for  all 
the  provinces  of  the  empire,  who  were  to  re- 
ceive their  instructions  from  the  minister  who 
presided  over  this  central  office,  and  make  their 
returns  directly  to  him.  Thus  the  whole  sys- 
tem was  remodeled,  and  made  far  more  efficient 
than  it  ever  had  been  before.  Of  course,  the 
old  governors,  who,  in  consequence  of  this  re- 
form, lost  the  power  of  enriching  themselves  by 
their  oppressions  and  frauds,  complained  bit- 
terly of  the  change,  and  mourned,  like  good 
Conservatives,  the  ruin  which  this  radicalism 
was  bringing  upon  the  country,  but  they  were 
forced  to  submit. 

Whenever  there  was  any  thing  in  the  private 
manners  and  customs  of  the  people  which  Pe- 
ter thought  was  likely  to  impede  in  any  way 
the  effectual  accomplishment  of  his  plans,  he 
did  not  hesitate  at  all  to  ordain  a  change ;  and 
some  of  the  greatest  difficulties  which  he  had 
to  encounter  in  his  reforms  arose  from  the  op- 
position which  the  people  made  to  the  changes 
that  he  wished  to  introduce  in  the  dress  that 
they  wore,  and  in  several  of  the  usages  of  com- 
mon life.  The  people  of  the  country  had  been 
accustomed  to  wear  long  gowns,  similar  to  those 
worn  to  this  day  by  many  Oriental  nations. 


1700.]  Reforms.  189 

Mustaches  and  beards.  The  long  drc.-'-e*  suppressed. 

This  costume  was  very  inconvenient,  not  only 
for  soldiers,  but  also  for  workmen,  and  for  all 
persons  engaged  in  any  of  the  common  avoca- 
tions of  life.  Peter  required  the  people  to 
change  this  dress ;  and  he  sent  patterns  of  the 
coats  worn  in  western  Europe  to  all  parts  of 
the  country,  and  had  them  put  up  in  conspicu- 
ous places,  where  every  body  could  see  them, 
and  required  every  body  to  imitate  them.  He, 
however,  met  with  a  great  deal  of  difficulty  in 
inducing  them  to  do  so.  He  found  still  greater 
difficulty  in  inducing  the  people  to  shave  off 
their  mustaches  and  their  beards.  Finding  that 
they  would  not  shave  their  faces  under  the  in- 
fluence of  a  simple  regulation  to  that  effect,  he 
assessed  a  tax  upon  beards,  requiring  that  every 
gentleman  should  pay  a  hundred  rubles  a  year 
for  the  privilege  of  wearing  one ;  and  as  for  the 
peasants  and  common  people,  every  one  who 
wore  a  beard  was  stopped  every  time  he  enter- 
ed a  city  or  town,  and  required  to  pay  a  penny 
at  the  gate  by  way  of  tax  or  fine. 

The  nuisance  of  long  clothes  he  attempted 
to  abate  in  a  similar  way.  The  officers  of  the 
customs,  who  were  stationed  at  the  gates  of  the 
towns,  were  ordered  to  stop  every  man  who 
wore  a  long  dress,  and  compel  him  either  to 
pay  a  fine  of  about  fifty  cents,  or  else  kneel 


190  Peter  the  Great.         [1701. 

Effect  of  ridicule.  The  jester's  marriage. 

down  and  have  all  that  part  of  their  coat  or 
gown  which  lay  upon  the  ground,  while  they 
were  in  that  posture,  cut  off  with  a  pair  of  big 
shears. 

Still,  such  was  the  attachment  of  the  people 
to  their  old  fashions,  that  great  numbers  of  the 
people,  rather  than  submit  to  this  curtailing  of 
their  vestments,  preferred  to  pay  the  fine. 

On  one  occasion  the  Czar,  laying  aside  for 
the  moment  the  system  of  severity  and  terror 
which  was  his  usual  reliance  for  the  accom- 
plishment of  his  ends,  concluded  to  try  the  ef- 
fect of  ridicule  upon  the  attachment  of  the 
people  to  old  and  absurd  fashions  in  dress.  It 
happened  that  one  of  the  fools  or  jesters  of  the 
court  was  about  to  be  married.  The  young 
woman  who  was  to  be  the  jester's  bride  was 
very  pretty,  and  she  was  otherwise  a  favorite 
with  those  who  knew  her,  and  the  Czar  determ- 
ined to  improve  the  occasion  of  the  wedding 
for  a  grand  frolic.  He  accordingly  made  ar- 
rangements for  celebrating  the  nuptials  at  the 
palace,  and  he  sent  invitations  to  all  the  great 
nobles  and  officers  of  state,  with  their  wives, 
and  to  all  the  other  great  ladies  of  the  court, 
giving  them  all  orders  to  appear  dressed  in  the 
fashions  which  prevailed  in  the  Russian  court 
one  or  two  hundred  years  before.     With  the 


1701.]  .    Reforms.  191 

Curious  sleeve.3.  Mode  of  manoeuvring  the  sleeve. 

exception  of  some  modes  of  dress  prevalent  at 
the  present  day,  there  is  nothing  that  can  be 
conceived  more  awkward,  inconvenient,  and 
ridiculous  than  the  fashions  which  were  repro- 
duced on  this  occasion.  Among  other  things, 
the  ladies  wore  a  sort  of  dress  of  which  the 
sleeves,  so  it  is  said,  were  ten  or  twelve  yards 
long.  These  sleeves  were  made  very  full,  and 
were  drawn  up  upon  the  arm  in  a  sort  of  a  puff, 
it  being  the  fashion  to  have  as  great  a  length 
to  the  sleeve  as  could  possibly  be  crowded  on 
between  the  shoulder  and  the  wrist.  It  is 
said,  too,  that  the  customary  salutation  between 
ladies  and  gentlemen  meeting  in  society,  when 
this  dress  was  in  fashion,  was  performed  through 
the  intervention  of  these  sleeves.  On  the  ap- 
proach of  the  gentleman,  the  lady,  by  a  sudden 
and  dexterous  motion  of  her  arm,  would  throw 
off  the  end  of  her  sleeve  to  him.  The  sleeve, 
being  very  long,  could  be  thrown  in  this  way 
half  across  the  room.  The  gentleman  would 
take  the  end  of  the  sleeve,  which  represented, 
we  are  to  suppose,  the  hand  of  the  lady,  and, 
after  kissing  and  saluting  it  in  a  most  respect- 
ful manner,  he  would  resign  it,  and  then  the 
lady  would  draw  it  back  again  upon  her  arm. 
This  would  be  too  ridiculous  to  be  believed  if 
it  were  possible,  that  any  thing  could  be  too 


192  Peter  the  Great.         [1701. 

The  boyars  in  the  streets.  Long  trains  of  attendants. 

ridiculous  to  be  believed  in  respect  to  the  ab- 
surdities of  fashion. 

A  great  many  of  the  customs  and  usages  of 
social  life  which  prevailed  in  those  days,  as 
well  as  the  fashions  of  dress,  were  inconvenient 
and  absurd.  These  the  Czar  did  not  hesitate 
to  alter  and  reform  by  proceedings  of  the  most 
arbitrary  and  summary  character.  For  in- 
stance, it  was  the  custom  of  all  the  great  no- 
bles, or  boyars,  as  they  were  called,  to  go  in 
grand  state  whenever  they  moved  about  the 
city  or  in  the  environs  of  it,  attended  always  by 
a  long  train  of  their  servants  and  retainers. 
Now,  as  these  followers  were  mostly  on  foot, 
the  nobles  in  the  carriages,  or,  in  the  winter,  in 
their  sledges  or  sleighs,  were  obliged  to  move 
very  slowly  in  order  to  enable  the  train  to 
keep  up  with  them.  Thus  the  streets  were 
full  of  these  tedious  processions,  moving  slowly 
along,  sometimes  through  snow  and  sometimes 
through  rain,  the  men  bareheaded,  because 
they  must  not  be  covered  in  the  presence  of 
their  master,  and  thus  exposed  to  all  the  in- 
clemency of  an  almost  Arctic  climate.  And 
what  made  the  matter  worse  was,  that  it  was 
not  the  fashion  for  the  nobleman  to  move  on 
even  as  fast  as  his  followers  might  easily  have 
walked.     They  considered  it  more  dignified 


1701.]  Reforms.  193 

Peter  changes  the  whole  system.  Motives  of  the  Czar. 

and  grand  to  go  slowly.  Thus,  the  more  aris- 
tocratic a  grandee  was  in  spirit,  and  the  greater 
his  desire  to  make  a  display  of  his  magnificence 
in  the  street,  the  more  slowly  he  moved.  If  it 
had  not  been  for  the  banners  and  emblems,  and 
the  gay  and  gaudy  colors  in  which  many  of 
the  attendants  were  dressed,  these  processions 
would  have  produced  the  effect  of  particularly 
solemn  funerals. 

The  Czar  determined  to  change  all  this. 
First  he  set  an  example  himself  of  rapid  mo- 
tion through  the  streets.  When  he  went  out 
in  his  carriage  or  in  his  sleigh,  he  was  attended 
only  by  a  very  few  persons,  and  they  were 
dressed  in  a  neat  uniform  and  mounted  on  good 
horses,  and  his  coachman  was  ordered  to  drive 
on  at  a  quick  pace.  The  boyars  were  slow  to 
follow  this  example,  but  the  Czar  assisted  them 
considerably  in  their  progress  toward  the  de- 
sired reform  by  making  rules  limiting  the  num- 
ber of  idle  attendants  which  they  were  allowed 
to  have  about  them ;  and  then,  if  they  would 
not  dismiss  the  supernumeraries,  he  himself 
caused  them  to  be  taken  from  them  and  sent 
into  the  army. 

The  motive  of  the  Czar  in  making  all  these 
improvements  and  reforms  was  his  desire  to 
render  his  own  power  as  the  sovereign  of  the 


194:  ■         Peter  the  Great.         [1701. 


Ultimate  effect  of  his  reforms. 


country  more  compact  and  efficient,  and  not 
any  real  and  heartfelt  interest  in  the  welfare 
and  happiness  of  the  people.  Still,  in  the  end, 
very  excellent  results  followed  from  the  inno- 
vations which  he  thus  introduced.  They  were 
the  commencement  of  a  series  of  changes  which 
so  developed  'the  power  and  advanced  the  civ- 
ilization of  the  country,  as  in  the  course  of  a 
few  subsequent  reigns  had  the  eifect  of  "bring- 
ing Eussia  into  the  foremost  rank  among  the 
nations  of  Europe.  The  progress  which  these 
changes  introduced  continues  to  go  on  to  the 
present  time,  and  will,  perhaps,  go  on  unim- 
peded for  centuries  to  come. 


1701.]    The  Battle  of  Narva.       195 

Origin  of  the  -war  with  Sweden. 


Chapter  X. 
The  Battle  of  Narva. 

THE  reader  will  perhaps  recollect  how  de- 
sirous Peter  had  long  been  to  extend  his 
dominions  toward  the  west,  so  as  to  have  a  sea- 
port under  his  control  on  the  Baltic  Sea;  for, 
at  the  time  when  he  succeeded  to  the  throne, 
the  eastern  shores  of  the  Baltic  belonged  to 
Poland  and  to  Sweden,  so  that  the  Bussians 
were  confined,  in  a  great  measure,  in  their  na- 
val operations  to  the  waters  of  the  Black  and 
Caspian  Seas,  and  to  the  rivers  flowing  into 
them.  You  will  also  recollect  that  when,  at 
the  commencement  of  his  tour,  he  arrived  at 
the  town  of  Riga,  which  stands  at  the  head  of 
the  Gulf  of  Riga,  a  sort  of  branch  of  the  Baltic, 
he  had  been  much  offended  at  the  refusal  of 
the  governor  of  the  place,  acting  under  the  or- 
ders of  the  King  of  Sweden,  to  allow  him  to 
view  the  fortifications  there.  He  then  resolved 
that  Riga,  and  the  whole  province  of  which  it 
was  the  capital,  should  one  day  be  his.  The 
year  after  he  returned  from  his  travels — that 
is,  in  1699,  the  country  being  by  that  time  re- 


196  Peter  the  Great.         [1701. 

Peace  with  the  Turks.  Charles  XII.  Siege  of  Narva. 

stored  to  its  ordinary  state  of  repose  after  the 
suppression  of  the  rebellion — he  concluded  that 
the  time  had  arrived  for  carrying  his  resolution 
into  effect. 

So  he  set  a  train  of  negotiations  on  foot  for 
making  a  long  truce  with  the  Turks,  not  wish- 
ing to  have  two  wars  on  his  hands  at  the  same 
time.  When  he  had  accomplished  this  object, 
he  formed  a  league  With  the  kingdoms  of  Po- 
land and  Denmark  to  make  war  upon  Sweden. 
So  exactly  were  all  his  plans  laid,  that  the  war 
with  Sweden  was  declared  on  the  very  next 
day  after  the  truce  of  the  Turks  was  con- 
cluded. 

The  King  of  Sweden  at  this  time  was  Charles 
XII.  He  was  a  mere  boy,  being  only  at  that 
time  eighteen  years  of  age,  and  he  had  just  suc- 
ceeded to  the  throne.  He  was,  however,  a 
prince  of  remarkable  talents  and  energy,  and 
in  his  subsequent  campaigns  against  Peter  and 
his  allies  he  distinguished  himself  so  much  that 
he  acquired  great  renown,  and  finally  took  his 
place  among  the  most  illustrious  military  he- 
roes in  history. 

The  first  operation  of  the  war  was  the  siege 
of  the  city  of  Narva.  Narva  was  a  port  on  the 
Baltic ;  the  situation  of  it,  as  well  as  that  of  the 
other  places  mentioned  in  this  chapter,  is  seen 


1699.]     The  Battle   of  Narva.      197 


The  frontier. 


Plan  of  the  campaign. 


by  the  adjoining  map,  which  shows  the  gener- 
al features  of  the  Enssian  and  Swedish  frontier 
as  it  existed  at  that  time. 


MAP  OF  THE  KUSSIAN  AND   SWEBISn  FBONTTEB. 

Narva,  as  appears  by  the  map,  is  situated  on 
the  sea-coast,  near  the  frontier — much  nearer 
than  Eiga.  Peter  expected  that  by  the  con- 
quest of  this  city  he  should  gain  access  to  the 
sea,  and  so  be  able  to  build  ships  which  would 


198  Peter  the  Great.         [1700. 


Indignation  of  the  King  of  Sweden. 


aid  him  in  his  ulterior  operations.  He  also  cal- 
culated that  when  Narva  was  in  his  hands  the 
way  would  be  open  for  him  to  advance  on  Eiga. 
Indeed,  at  the  same  time  while  he  was  com- 
mencing the  siege  of  Narva,  his  ally,  the  King 
of  Poland,  advanced  from  his  own  dominions 
to  Eiga,  and  was  now  prepared  to  attack  that 
city  at  the  same  time  that  the  Czar  was  besieg- 
ing Narva. 

In  the  mean  while  the  news  of  these  move- 
ments was  sent  by  couriers  to  the  King  of  Swe- 
den, and  the  conduct  ©f  Peter  in  thus  suddenly 
making  war  upon  him,  and  invading  his  domin- 
ions, made  him  exceedingly  indignant.  The 
only  cause  of  quarrel  which  Peter  pretended  to 
have  against  the  king  was  the  uncivil  treatment 
which  he  had  received  at  the  hands  of  the  Gov- 
ernor of  Eiga  in  refusing  to  allow  him  to  see 
the  fortifications  when  he  passed  through  that 
city  on  his  tour.  Peter  had,  it  is  true,  complain- 
ed of  this  insult,  as  he  called  it,  and  had  sent 
commissioners  to  Sweden  to  demand  satisfac- 
tion ;  and  certain  explanations  had  been  made, 
though  Peter  professed  not  to  be  satisfied  with 
them.  Still,  the  negotiations  had  not  been  closed, 
and  the  government  of  Sweden  had  no  idea  that 
the  misunderstanding  would  lead  to  war.  In- 
deed, the  commissioners  were  still  at  the  Swo- 


1700.]    The  Battle  of  Narva.       199 

Remonstrances  of  Holland  and  England. 

dish  court,  continuing  the  negotiations,  when 
the  news  arrived  that  Peter  had  at  once  brought 
the  question  to  an  issue  by  declaring  war  and 
invading  the  Swedish  territory.  The  king  im- 
mediately collected  a  large  army,  and  provided 
a  fleet  of  two  hundred  transports  to  convey 
them  to  the  scene  of  action.  The  preparations 
were  made  with  great  dispatch,  and  the  fleet 
sailed  for  Eiga. 

The  news,  too,  of  this  war  occasioned  great 
dissatisfaction  among  the  governments  of  west- 
ern Europe.  The  government  of  Holland  was 
particularly  displeased,  on  account  of  the  inter- 
ference and  interruption  which  the  war  would 
occasion  to  all  their  commerce  in  the  Baltic. 
They  immediately  determined  to  remonstrate 
with  the  Czar  against  the  course  which  he  was 
pursuing,  and  they  induced  King  "William,  of 
England,  to  join  them  in  the  remonstrance. 
They  also,  at  the  same  time,  sent  a  messenger 
to  the  King  of  Poland,  urging  him  by  all  means 
to  suspend  his  threatened  attack  on  Eiga  until 
some  measures  could  be  taken  for  accommo- 
dating the  quarrel.  Biga  was  a  very  import- 
ant commercial  port,  and  there  were  a  great 
many  wealthy  Dutch  merchants  there,  whose 
interests  the  Dutch  government  were  very  anx- 
ious to  protect. 


200  Peter  the  Gee  at.         [1700. 

The  King  of  Sweden  at  Riga.  The  Czar  a  subordinate. 

The  King  of  Sweden  arrived  at  Eiga  with 
his  fleet  at  just  about  the  same  time  that  the 
remonstrance  of  the  Dutch  government  reach- 
ed the  King  of  Poland,  who  was  advancing  to 
attack  it.  Augustus,  for  that  was  the  name  of 
the  King  of  Poland,  finding  that  now,  since  so 
great  a  force  had  arrived  to  succor  and  strength- 
en the  place,  there  was  no  hope  for  success  in 
any  of  his  operations  against  it,  concluded  to 
make  a  virtue  of  necessity,  and  so  he  drew  off 
his  army,  and  sent  word  to  the  Dutch  govern- 
ment that  he  did  so  in  compliance  with  their 
wishes. 

The  King  of  Sweden  had,  of  course,  nothing 
now  to  do  but  to  advance  from  Eiga  to  Narva 
and  attack  the  army  of  the  Czar. 

This  army  was  not,  however,  commanded  by 
the  Czar  in  person.  In  accordance  with  what 
seems  to  have  been  his  favorite  plan  in  all  his 
great  undertakings,  he  did  not  act  directly  him- 
self as  the  head  of  the  expedition,  but,  putting 
forward  another  man,  an  experienced  and  skill- 
ful general,  as  responsible  commander,  he  him- 
self took  a  subordinate  position  as  lieutenant. 
Indeed,  he  took  a  pride  in  entering  the  army  at 
one  of  the  very  lowest  grades,  and  so  advanc- 
ing, by  a  regular  series  of  promotions,  through 
all  the  ranks  of  the  service.    The  person  whom 


1700.]    The  Battle  of   Narva.      201 

General  Croy.  His  plans. 

the  Czar  had  made  commander-in-chief  at  the 
siege  of  Narva  was  a  German  officer.  His  name 
was  General  Croy. 

General  Croy  had  been  many  weeks  before 
Narva  at  the  time  when  the  King  of  Sweden 
arrived  at  Riga,  but  he  had  made  little  progress 
in  taking  the  town.  The  place  was  strongly 
fortified,  and  the  garrison,  though  comparative- 
ly weak,  defended  it  with  great  bravery.  The 
Russian  army  was  encamped  in  a  very  strong 
position  just  outside  the  town.  As  soon  as 
news  of  the  coming  of  the  King  of  Sweden  ar- 
rived, the  Czar  went  off  into  the  interior  of  the 
country  to  hasten  a  large  re-enforcement  which 
had  been  ordered,  and,  at  the  same  time,  Gen- 
eral Croy  sent  forward  large  bodies  of  men  to 
lay  in  ambuscade  along  the  roads  and  defiles 
through  which  the  King  of  Sweden  would  have 
to  pass  on  his  way  from  Riga. 

But  all  these  excellent  arrangements  were 
entirely  defeated  by  the  impetuous  energy,  and 
the  extraordinary  tact  and  skill  of  the  King  of 
Sweden.  Although  his  army  was  very  much 
smaller  than  that  of  the  Russians,  he  immedi- 
ately set  out  on  his  march  to  Narva ;  but,  in- 
stead of  moving  along  the  regular  roads,  and 
so  falling  into  the  ambuscade  which  the  Rus- 
sians had  laid  for  him,  he  turned  off  into  back 


202  Peter  the  Great.        [1700. 

Operations  of  the  king.  Surprise  and  defeat  of  the  Russians. 

and  circuitous  by -ways,  so  as  to  avoid  the  snare 
altogether.  It  was  in  the  dead  of  winter,  and 
the  roads  which  he  followed,  besides  being 
rough  and  intricate,  were  obstructed  with  snow, 
and  the  Kussians  had  thought  little  of  them,  so 
that  at  last,  when  the  Swedish  army  arrived  at 
their  advanced  posts,  they  were  taken  entirely 
by  surprise.  The  advanced  posts  were  driven 
in,  and  the  Swedes  pressed  on,  the  Eussians  fly- 
ing before  them,  and  carrying  confusion  to  the 
posts  in  the  rear.  The  surprise  of  the  Eussians, 
and  the  confusion  consequent  upon  it,  were 
greatly  increased  by  the  state  of  the  weather ; 
for  there  was  a  violent  snow-storm  at  the  time, 
and  the  snow,  blowing  into  the  Eussians'  faces, 
prevented  their  seeing  what  the  numbers  were 
of  the  enemy  so  suddenly  assaulting  them,  or 
taking  any  effectual  measures  to  restore  their 
own  ranks  to  order  when  once  deranged. 

When  at  length  the  Swedes,  having  thus 
driven  in  the  advanced  posts,  reached  the  Eus- 
sian  camp  itself,  they  immediately  made  an  as- 
sault upon  it.  The  camp  was  defended  by  a 
rampart  and  by  a  double  ditch,  but  on  went 
the  assaulting  soldiers  over  all  the  obstacles, 
pushing  their  way  with  their  bayonets,  and  car- 
rying all  before  them.  The  Eussians  were  en- 
tirely defeated  and  put  to  flight. 


1700.]    The  Battle  of  Narva.      203 

Terrible  slaughter.  Whimsical  plan  for  disposing  of  the  prisoners. 

In  a  rout  like  this,  the  conquering  army,  mad- 
dened by  rage  and  by  all  the  other  dreadful  ex- 
citements of  the  contest,  press  on  furiously  upon 
their  flying  and  falling  foes,  and  destroy  them 
with  their  bayonets  in  immense  numbers  be- 
fore the  officers  can  arrest  them.  Indeed,  the 
officers  do  not  wish  to  arrest  tfrem  until  it  is 
sure  that  the  enemy  is  so  completely  over- 
whelmed that  their  rallying  again  is  utterly 
impossible.  In  this  case  twenty  thousand  of 
the  Eussian  soldiers  were  left  dead  upon  the 
field.  The  Swedes,  on  the  other  hand,  lost  only 
two  or  three  thousand. 

Besides  those  who  were  killed,  immense  num- 
bers were  taken  prisoners.  General  Croy,  and 
all  the  other  principal  generals  in  command, 
were  among  the  prisoners.  It  is  very  probable 
that,  if  Peter  had  not  been  absent  at  the  time, 
he  would  himself  have  been  taken  too. 

The  number  of  prisoners  was  so  very  great 
that  it  was  not  possible  for  the  Swedes  to  retain 
them,  on  account  of  the  expense  and  trouble  of 
feeding  them,  and  keeping  them  warm  at  that 
season  of  the  year ;  so  they  determined  to  de- 
tain the  officers  only,  and  to  send  the  men  away. 
In  doing  this,  besides  disarming  the  men,  they 
adopted  a  very  whimsical  expedient  for  mak- 
ing them  helpless  and  incapable  of  doing  mis- 


204  Peter  the  Great.         [1700. 

JEffect  upon  the  Czar.  New  plans  and  arrangements. 

chief  on  their  march.  They  cut  their  clothes 
in  such  a  manner  that  they  could  only  be  pre- 
vented from  falling  off  by  being  held  together 
by  both  hands ;  and  the  weather  was  so  cold — 
the  ground,  moreover,  being  covered  with  snow 
. — that  the  men  could  only  save  themselves  from 
perishing  by  keeping  their  clothes  around  them. 

In  this  pitiful  plight  the  whole  body  of  pris- 
oners were  driven  off,  like  a  flock  of  sheep,  by 
a  small  body  of  Swedish  soldiery,  for  a  distance 
of  about  a  league  on  the  road  toward  Russia, 
and  then  left  to  find  the  rest  of  the  way  them- 
selves. 

The  Czar,  when  he  heard  the  news  of  this  ter- 
rible disaster,  did  not  seem  much  disconcerted 
by  it.  He  said  that  he  expected  to  be  beaten 
at  first  by  the  Swedes.  "  They  have  beaten  us 
once,"  said  he,  "and  they  may  beat  us  again; 
but  they  will  teach  us  in  time  to  beat  them." 

He  immediately  began  to  adopt  the  most  ef- 
ficient and  energetic  measures  for  organizing  a 
new  army.  He  set  about  raising  recruits  in  <all 
parts  of  the  empire.  He  introduced  many  new 
foreign  officers  into  his  service ;  and  to  provide 
artillery,  after  exhausting  all  the  other  resources 
at  his  command,  he  ordered  the  great  bells  of 
many  churches  and  monasteries  to  be  taken 
down  and  cast" into  cannon. 


1700.]  Building  St.  Peteesbueg.  205 

Continuation  of  the  war.  Stratagems  of  the  Swedes. 


Chapter  XI. 
The  Building  of  St.  Petersburg. 

THE  struggle  thus  commenced  between  the 
Czar  Peter  and  Charles  XII.  of  Sweden, 
for  the  possession  of  the  eastern  shores  of  the 
Baltic  Sea,  continued  for  many  years.  At  first 
the  Eussians  were  every  where  beaten  by  the 
Swedes ;  but  at  last,  as  Peter  had  predicted,  the 
King  of  Sweden  taught  them  to  beat  him. 

The  commanders  of  the  Swedish  army  were 
very  ingenious  in  expedients,  as  well  as  bold 
and  energetic  in  action,  and  they  often  gained 
an  advantage  over  their  enemy  by  their  wit  as 
well  as  by  their  bravery.  One  instance  of  this 
was  their  contrivance  for  rendering  their  pris- 
oners helpless  on  their  march  homeward  after 
the  battle  of  Narva,  by  cutting  their  clothes  in 
such  a  manner  as  to  compel  the  men  to  keep 
both  hands  employed,  as  they  walked  along  the 
roads,  in  holding  them  together.  On  another 
occasion,  when  they  had  to  cross  a  river  in  the 
face  of  the  Kussian  troops  posted  on  the  other 
side,  they  invented  a  peculiar  kind  of  boat,  which 
was  of  great  service  in  enabling  them  to  accom- 


208 

Peter 

THE 

GrREAT. 

■           Li' 

roo. 

Peculiar  kind  of  boat. 

Making  a  smoke. 

plisli  the  transit  in  safety.  These  boats  were 
flat-bottomed  and  square ;  the  foremost  end  of 
each  of  them  was  guarded  by  a  sort  of  bulwark, 
formed  of  plank,  and  made  very  high.  This; 
bulwark  was  fixed  on  hinges  at  the  lower  end, 
so  that  it  could  be  raised  up  and  down.  It 
was,  of  course,  kept  up  during  the  passage 
across  the  river,  and  so  served  to  defend  the 
men  in  the  boat  from  the  shots  of  the  enemy. 
But  when  the  boat  reached  the  shore  it  was  let 
down,  and  then  it  formed  a  platform  or  bridge 
by  which  the  men  could  all  rush  out  together 
to  the  shore. 

At  the  same  time,  while  they  were  getting 
these  boats  ready,  and  placing  the  men  in  them, 
the  Swedes,  having  observed  that  the  wind  blew 
across  from  their  side  of  the  river  to  the  other, 
made  great  fires  on  the  bank,  and  covered  them 
with  wet  straw,  so  as  to  cause  them  to  throw 
out  a  prodigious  quantity  of  smoke.  The  smoke 
was  blown  over  to  the  other  side  of  the  river, 
where  it  so  filled  the  air  as  to  prevent  the  [Rus- 
sians from  seeing  what  was  going  on. 

It  was  about  a  year  after  the  first  breaking 
out  of  the  war  that  the  tide  of  fortune  began  to 
turn,  in  some  measure,  in  favor  of  the  Russians. 
About  that  time  the  Czar  gained  possession  of 
a  considerable  portion  of  the  Baltic  shore*;  and, 


1702.]  Building  St.  Petersburg.  209 

Peter  determines  to  build  a  city.    The  site.    Peter's  first  visit  to  the  Nera. 

as  soon  as  he  had  done  so,  he  conceived  the  de- 
sign of  laying  the  foundation  of  a  new  city  there, 
with  the  view  of  making  it  the  naval  and  com- 
mercial capital  of  his  kingdom.  This  plan  was 
carried  most  successfully  into  effect  in  the  build- 
ing of  the  great  city  of  St.  Petersburg.  The 
founding  of  this  city  was  one  of  the  most  im- 
portant transactions  in  Peter's  reign.  Indeed, 
it  was  probably  by  far  the  most  important,  and 
Peter  owes,  perhaps,  more  of  his  great  fame  to 
this  memorable  enterprise  than  to  any  thing  else 
that  he  did. 

The  situation  of  St.  Petersburg  will  be  seen 
by  the  map  in  the  preceding  chapter.  At  a 
little  distance  from  the  shore  is  a  large  lake, 
called,  the  Lake  of  Ladoga.  The  outlet  of  the 
Lake  of  Ladoga  is  a  small  river  called  the  Neva. 
The  Lake#of  Ladoga  is  supplied  with  water  by 
many  rivers,  which  flow  into  it  from  the  high- 
er lands  lying  to  the  northward  and  eastward 
of  it ;  and  it  is  by  the  Neva  that  the  surplus  of 
these  waters  is  carried  off  to  the  sea. 

.  The  circumstances  under  which  the  attention 
of  the  Czar  was  called  to  the  advantages  of  this 
locality  were  these.  He  arrived  on  the  banks 
of  the  Neva,  at  some  distance  above  the  mouth 
of  the  river,  in  the  course  of  his  campaign 
against  the  Swedes  in  the  year  1702.  He  fol- 
'       O 


210 

Petek  the  Great. 

[1702. 

Cronstadt. 

A  strategem. 

lowed  the  river  down,  and  observed  that  it  was 
pretty  wide,  and  that  the  water  was  sufficiently 
deep  for  the  purpose  of  navigation.  When  he 
reached  the  mouth  of  the  river,  he  saw  that, 
there  was  an  island,*  at  some  distance  from  the 
shore,  which  might  easily  be  fortified,  and  that, 
when  fortified,  it  would  completely  defend  the 
entrance  to  the  stream.  He  took  with  him  a 
body  of  armed  men,  and  went  off  to  the  island 
in  boats,  in  order  to  examine  it  more  closely. 
The  name  of  this  island  was  then  almost  un- 
known, but  it  is  now  celebrated  throughout  the 
world  as  the  seat  of  the  renowned  and  impreg- 
nable fortress  of  Cronstadt. 

There  was  a  Swedish  ship  in  the  offing  at  the 
time  when  Peter  visited  the  island,  and  this  ship 
drew  near  to  the  island  and  began  to  fire  upon 
it  as  soon  as  those  on  board  saw  that  the  Eus- 
sian  soldiers  had  landed  there.  This  cannon- 
ading drove  the  Eussians  back  from  the  shores, 
but  instead  of  retiring  from  the  island  they 
went  and  concealed  themselves  behind  some 
rocks.  The  Swedes  supposed  that  the  Eussians 
had  gone  around  to  the  other  side  of  the  island, 
and  that  they  had  there  taken  to  their  boats 
again  and  returned  to  the  main  land ;  so  they 
determined  to  go  to  the  island  themselves,  and 

*  See  map  on  page  221. 


1703.]  Building  St.  Petersburg.  211 

Contest  on  the  island.  Peter  examines  the  locality. 

examine  it,  in  order  to  find  ont  what  the  Rus- 
sians had  been  doing  there. 

They  accordingly  let  down  their  boats,  and  a 
large  party  of  Swedes  embarking  in  them  rowed 
to  the  island.  Soon  after  they  had  landed  the 
Russians  rushed  out  upon  them  from  their  am- 
buscade, and,  after  a  sharp  contest,  drove  them 
back  to  their  boats.  Several  of  the  men  were 
killed,  but  the  rest  succeeded  in  making  their 
way  to  the  ship,  and  the  ship  soon  afterward 
weighed  anchor  and  put  to  sea. 

Peter  was  now  at  liberty  to  examine  the  isl- 
and, the  mouth  of  the  river,  and  all  the  adjacent 
shores,  as  much  as  he  pleased.  He  found  that 
the  situation  of  the  place  was  well  adapted  to 
the  purposes  of  a  sea-port.  The  island  would 
serve  to  defend  the  mouth  of  the  river,  and  yet 
there  was  deep  water  along  the  side  of  it  to  af- 
ford an  entrance  for  ships.  The  water,  too, 
was  deep  in  the  river,  and  the  flow  of  the  cur- 
rent smooth.  It  is  true  that  in  many  places 
the  land  along  the  banks  of  the  river  was  low 
and  marshy,  but  this  difficulty  could  be  reme- 
died by  the  driving  of  piles  for  the  foundation 
of  the  buildings,  which  had  been  done  so  ex- 
tensively in  Holland. 

There  was  no  town  on  the  spot  at  the  time 
of  Peter's  visit  to  it,  but  only  a  few  fishermen's 


212  Peter  the  Great.        [1703. 

He  matures  his  plans.  Mechanics  and  artisans. 

huts  near  the  outlet  of  the  river,  and  the  ruins 
of  an  old  fort  a  few  miles  above.  Peter  ex- 
amined the  whole  region  with  great  care,  and 
came  decidedly  to  the  conclusion  that  he  would 
make  the  spot  the  site  of  a  great  city. 

He  matured  his  plans  during  the  winter,  and 
in  the  following  spring  he  commenced  the  exe- 
cution of  them.  The  first  building  that  was 
erected  was  a  low  one-story  structure,  made  of 
wood,  to  be  used  as  a  sort  of  office  and  place  of 
shelter  for  himself  while  superintending  the 
commencement  of  the  works  that  he  had  pro- 
jected. This  building  was  afterward  preserved 
a  long  time  with  great  care,  as  a  precious  relic 
and  souvenir  of  the  foundation  of  the  city. 

The  Czar  had  sent  out  orders  to  the  govern- 
ments of  the  different  provinces  of  the  empire 
requiring  each  of  them  to  send  his  quota  of  ar- 
tificers and  laborers  to  assist  in  building  the 
city.  This  they  could  easily  do,  for  in  those 
days  all  the  laboring  classes  of  the  people  were 
little  better  than  slaves,  and  were  almost  entire- 
ly at  the  disposal  of  the  nobles,  their  masters. 
In  the  same  manner  he  sent  out  agents  to  all 
the  chief  cities  in  western  Europe,  with  orders 
to  advertise  there  for  carpenters,  masons,  en- 
gineers, ship-builders,  and  persons  of  all  the 
other  trades  likely  to  be  useful  in  the  work  of 


1703.]  Building  .St.  Petersburg.  213 

Ships  and  merchandise.  Laborers.  The  boyars. 

building  the  city.  These  men  were  to  be  prom- 
ised good  wages  and  kind  treatment,  and  were 
to  be  at  liberty  at  any  time  to  return  to  their 
respective  homes. 

The  agents  also,  at  the  same  time,  invited  the 
merchants  of  the  countries  that  they  fisited  to 
send  vessels  to  the  new  port,  laden  with  food 
for  the  people  that  were  to  be  assembled  there, 
and  implements  for  work,  and  other  merchan- 
dise suitable  for  the  wants  of  such  a  community. 
The  merchants  were  promised  good  prices  for 
their  goods,  and  full  liberty  to  come  and  go  at 
their  pleasure. 

The  Czar  also  sent  orders  to  a  great  many 
leading  boyars  or  nobles,  requiring  them  to 
come  and  build  houses  for  themselves  in  the 
new  town.  They  were  to  bring  with  them  a 
sufficient  number  of  their  serfs  and  retainers  to 
do  all  the  rough  work  which  would  be  required, 
and  money  to  pay  the  foreign  mechanics  for 
the  skilled  labor.  The  boyars  were  not  at  all 
pleased  with  this  summons.  They  already  pos- 
sessed their  town  .houses  in  Moscow,  with  gar- 
dens and  pleasure-grounds  in  the  environs. 
The  site  for  the  new  city  was  very  far  to  the 
northward,  in  a  comparatively  cold  and  inhos- 
pitable climate ;  and  they  knew  very  well  that, 
even  if  Peter  should  succeed,  in  the  end,  in  es- 


214  Peter  the  Great.         [1703. 

The  building  commenced.  Wharves  and  piers.  Palace. 

tablishing  his  new  city,  several  years  must 
elapse  before  they  could  live  there  in  comfort. 
Still,  they  did  not  dare  to  do  otherwise  than  to 
obey  the  emperor's  summons. 

In  consequence  of  all  these  arrangements  and 
preparations,  immense  numbers  of  people  came 
in  to  the  site  of  the  new  city  in  the  course  of 
the  following  spring  and  summer.  The  num- 
bers were  swelled  by  the  addition  of  the  pop- 
ulations of  many  towns  and  villages  along  the 
coast  that  had  been  ravaged  or  destroyed  by 
the  Swedes  in  the  course  of  the  war.  The  works 
were  immediately  commenced  on  a  vast  scale, 
and  they  were  carried  on  during  the  summer 
with  great  energy.  The  first  thing  to  be  se- 
cured was,  of  course,  the  construction  of  the 
fortress  which  was  to  defend  the  town.  There 
were  wharves  and  piers  to  be  built  too,  in  order 
that  the  vessels  bringing  stores  and  provisions 
might  land  their  goods.  The  land  was  survey- 
ed, streets  laid  out,  building  lots  assigned  to 
merchants  for  warehouses  and  shops,  and  to  the 
boyars  for  palaces  and  gardens.  The  boyars 
commenced  the  building  of  their  houses,  and 
the  Czar  himself  laid  the  foundation  of  an  im- 
perial palace. 

But,  notwithstanding  all  the  precautions 
which  Peter  had  taken  to  secure  supplies  of 


1703.]  Building  St.  Petersburg.  215 

Confusion.  Variety  of  labors.  Want  of  tools  and  implements. 

■every  tiling  required  for  such  an  undertaking, 
and  to  regulate  the  work  by  systematic  plans 
and  arrangements,  the  operations  were  for  a  time 
attended  with  a  great  deal  of  disorder  and  con- 
fusion, and  a  vast  amount  of  personal  suffering. 
For  a  long  time  there  was  no  proper  shelter  for 
the  laborers.  Men  came  to  the  ground  much 
faster  than  huts  could  be  built  to  cover  them, 
and  they  were  obliged  to  lie  on  the  marshy 
ground  without  any  protection  from  the  weattu 
er.  There  was  also  a  great  scarcity  of  tools  and 
implements  suitable  for  the  work  that  was  re- 
quired, in  felling  and  transporting  trees,  and  in 
excavating  and  filling  up,  where  changes  in  the 
surface  were  required.  In  constructing  the  for- 
tifications, for  example,  which,  in  the  first  in- 
stance, were  made  of  earth,  it  was  necessary  to 
dig  deep  ditches  and  to  raise  great  embank- 
ments. There  was  a  great  deal  of  the  same 
kind  of  work  necessary  on  the  ground  where 
the  city  was  to  stand  before  the  work  of  erect- 
ing buildings  could  be  commenced.  There 
were  dikes  and  levees  to  be  made  along  the 
margin  of  the  stream  to  protect  the  land  from 
the  inundations  to  which  it  was  subject  when 
the  river  was  swollen  with  rains.  There  were 
roads  to  be  made,  and  forests  to  be  cleared  away, 
and  many  other  such  labors  to  be  performed. 


216  Peter  the  Great.        [1703. 

Danger  from  the  enemy.  Supplies  of  provisions. 

Now,  in  order  to  employ  at  once  the  vast  con- 
course of  laborers  that  were  assembled  on  the 
ground  in  such  works  as  these,  an  immense 
number  of  implements  were  required,  such  as 
pickaxes,  spades,  shovels,  and  wheelbarrows; 
but  so  limited  was  the  supply  of  these  conven- 
iences, that  a  great  portion  of  the  earth  which 
was  required  for  the  dikes  and  embankments 
was  brought  by  the  men  in  their  aprons,  or  in 
the  skirts  of  their  clothes,  or  in  bags  made  for 
the  purpose  out  of  old  mats,  or  any  other  ma- 
terial that  came  to  hand.  It  was  necessary  to 
push  forward  the  work  promptly  and  without 
any  delay,  notwithstanding  all  these  disadvant- 
ages, for  the  Swedes  were  still  off  the  coast  with 
their  ships,  and  no  one  knew  how  soon  they 
might  draw  near  and  open  a  cannonade  upon 
the  place,  or  even  land  and  attack  the  workmen, 
in  the  midst  of  their  labors. 

What  greatly  increased  the  difficulties  of  the 
case  was  the  frequent  falling  short  of  the  sup- 
ply of  provisions.  The  number  of  men  to  be 
fed  was  immensely  large ;  for,  in  consequence  of 
the  very  efficient  measures  which  the  Czar  had 
taken  for  gathering  men  from  all  parts  of  his 
dominions,  it  is  said  that  there  were  not  less 
than  three  hundred  thousand  collected  on  the 
spot  in  the  course  of  the  summer.     And  as 


1703.]  Building  St.  Petersburg.  217 

The  supplies  often  fall  short.  Consequent  sickness. 

there  were  at  that  time  no  roads  leading  to  the 
place,  all  the  supplies  were  necessarily  to  be 
brought  by  water.  But  the  approach  from  the 
Baltic  side  was  well-nigh  cut  off  by  the  Swedes, 
who  had  at  that  time  full  possession  of  the  sea. 
Vessels  could,  however,  come  from  the  interior 
by  way  of  Lake  Ladoga;  but  when  for  several 
days  or  more  the  wind  was  from  the  west,  these 
vessels  were  all  kept  back,  and  then  sometimes 
the  provisions  fell  short,  and  the  men  were  re- 
duced to  great  distress.  To  guard  as  much  as 
possible  against  the  danger  of  coming  to  abso- 
lute want  at  the  times  when  the  supplies  were 
thus  entirely  cut  off,  the  men  were  often  put  on 
short  allowance  beforehand.  The  emperor,  it 
is  true,  was  continually  sending  out  requisitions 
for  more  food ;  but  the  men  increased  in  num- 
ber faster,  after  all,  than  the  means  for  feeding 
them.  The  consequence  was,  that  immense 
multitudes  of  them  sickened  and  died.  The 
scarcity  of  food,  combined  with  the  influence  of 
fatigue  and  exposure — men  half  fed,  working 
all  day  in  the  mud  and  rain,  and  at  night  sleep- 
ing without  any  shelter — brought  on  fevers  and 
dysenteries,  and  other  similar  diseases,  which 
always  prevail  in  camps,  and  among  large 
bodies  of  men  exposed  to  such  influences  as 
fhese.     It  is  said  that  not  less  than  a  hundred 


218  Peter  the  Great.        [1703. 

Great  mortality.  Peter's  impetuosity  of  spirit. 

thousand  men  perished  from  these  causes  at  St. 
Petersburg  in  the  course  of  the  year. 

Peter  doubtless  regretted  this  loss  of  life,  as 
it  tended  to  impede  the  progress  of  the  work ; 
but,  after  all,  it  was  a  loss  which  he  could  easily 
repair  by  sending  out  continually  to  the  prov* 
inces  for  fresh  supplies  of  men.  Those  whom 
the  nobles  and  governors  selected  from  among 
the  serfs  and  ordered  to  go  had  no  option ;  they 
were  obliged  to  submit.  And  thus  the  supply 
of  laborers  was  kept  full,  notwithstanding  the 
dreadful  mortality  which  was  continually  tend- 
ing to  diminish  it. 

If  Peter  had  been  willing  to  exercise  a  little 
patience  and  moderation  in  carrying  out  his 
plans,  it  is  very  probable  that  most  of  this  suf- 
fering might  have  been  saved.  If  he  had  sent 
a  small  number  of  men  to  the  ground  the  first 
year,  and  had  employed  them  in  opening  roads, 
establishing  granaries,  and  making  other  pre- 
liminary arrangements,  and,  in  the  mean  time, 
had  caused  stores  of  food  to  be  purchased  and 
laid  up,  and  ample  supplies  of  proper  tools  and 
implements  to  be  procured  and  conveyed  to  the 
ground,  so  as  to  have  had  every  thing  ready  for 
the  advantageous  employment  of  a  large  num- 
ber of  men  in  the  following  year,  every  thing 
would,  perhaps,  have  gone  well.    But  the  qual- 


1703.]  Building  St.  Petersburg.  219 

His  recklessness.  Peter  a  draughtsman. 

ities  of  patience  and  moderation  formed  no  part 
of  Peter's  character.  What  he  conceived  of 
and  determined  to  do  must  be  done  at  once,  at 
whatever  cost ;  and  a  cost  of  human  life  seems 
to  have  been  the  one  that  he  thought  less  of 
than  any  other.  He  rushed  headlong  on,  not- 
withstanding the  suffering  which  his  impetuos- 
ity occasioned,  and  thus  the  hymn  which  sol- 
emnized the  entrance  into  being  of  the  new- 
born city  was  composed  of  the  groans  of  a 
hundred  thousand  men,  dying  in  agony,  of  want, 
misery,  and  despair. 

Peter  was  a*  personal  witness  of  this  suffer- 
ing, for  he  remained,  during  a  great  part  of  the 
time,  on  the  ground,  occupying  himself  con- 
stantly in  superintending  and  urging  on  the 
operations.  Indeed,  it  is  said  that  he  acted 
himself  as  chief  engineer  in  planning  the  forti- 
fications, and  in  laying  out  the  streets  of  the 
city.  He  drew  many  of  the  plans  with  his  own 
hands;  for,  among  the  other  accomplishments 
which  he  had  acquired  in  the  early  part  of  his 
life,  he  had  made  himself  quite  a  good  practical 
draughtsman. 

When  the  general  plan  of  the  city  had  been 
determined  upon,  and  proper  places  had  been 
set  apart  for  royal  palaces  and  pleasure-grounds, 
and  public  edifices  of  all  sorts  that  might  be  re- 


220  Peter  the  Great.        [1703. 

Streets  and  buildings.  Private  dwellings. 

quired,  and  also  for  open  squares,  docks,  mar- 
kets, and  the  like,  a  great  many  streets  were 
thrown  open  for  the  use  of  any  persons  who 
might  choose  to  build  houses  in  them.  A  vast 
number  of  the  mechanics  and  artisans  who  had 
been  attracted  to  the  place  by  the  offers  of  the 
Czar  availed  themselves  of  this  opportunity  to 
provide  themselves  with  homes,  and  they  pro- 
ceeded at  once  to  erect  houses.  A  great  many 
of  the  structures  thus  built  were  mere  huts  or 
shanties,  made  of  any  rude  materials  that  came 
most  readily  to  hand,  and  put  up  in  a  very 
hasty  manner.  It  was  sufncienf  that  the  tene- 
ment afforded  a  shelter  from  the  rain,  and  that 
it  was  enough  of  a  building  to  fulfill  the  con- 
dition on  which  the  land  was  granted  to  the 
owner  of  it.  The  number  of  these  structures 
was,  however,  enormous.  It  was  said  that  in 
one  year  there  were  erected  thirty  thousand  of 
them.  There  is  no  instance  in  the  history  of 
the  world  of  so  great  a  city  springing  into  ex- 
istence with  such  marvelous  rapidity  as  this. 

During  the  time  while  Peter  was  thus  em-' 
ployed  in  laying  the  foundations  of  his  new 
city,  the  King  of  Sweden  was  carrying  on  the 
war  in  Poland  against  the  conjoined  forces  of 
Eussia  and  Poland,  which  were  acting  together 
there  as  allies.    When  intelligence  was  brought 


1703.]  Building  St.  Petersburg.  221 


What  the  King  of  Sweden  said. 


Map. 


to  him  of  the  operations  in  which  Peter  was 
engaged- on  the  banks  of  the  Neva,  he  said,  "It 
is  all  very  well.  He  may  amuse  himself  as 
much  as' he  likes  in  building  his  city  there ;  but 
by-and-by,  when  I  am  a  little  at  leisure,  I  will 
go  and  take  it  away  from  him.  Then,  if  I  like 
the  town,  I  will  keep  it ;  and  if  not,  I  will  burn 
it  down." 


Peter,  however,  determined  that  it  should  not 
be  left  within  the  power  of  the  King  of  Sweden 
to  take  his  town,  or  even  to  molest  his  oper- 


222  Peter  the  Great.         [1703. 

Situation  of  Cronstadt.  Peter  plans  a  fortress. 

ations  in  the  building  of  it,  if  any  precautions 
on  his  part  could  prevent  it.  He  had  caused  a 
number  of  redoubts  and  batteries  to  be  thrown 
up  during  the  summer.  These  works  were  sit- 
uated at  different  points  near  the  outlet  of  the 
river,  and  on  the  adjacent  shores. 

There  was  an  island  off  the  mouth  of  the 
river  which  stood  in  a  suitable  position  to  guard 
the  entrance.  This  island  was  several  miles  dis- 
tant from  the  place  where  the  city  was  to  stand, 
and  it  occupied  the  middle  of  the  bay  leading 
toward  it.  Thus  there  was  water  on  both  sides 
of  it,  but  the  water  was  deep,  enough  only  on 
one  side  to  allow  of  the  passage  of  ships  of  war. 
Peter  now  determined  to  construct  a  large  and 
strong  fortress  on  the  shores  of  this  island,  plac- 
ing it  in  such  a  position  that  the  guns  could 
command  the  channel  leading  up  the  bay.'  It 
was  late  in  the  fall  when  he  planned  this  work, 
and  the  winter  came  on  before  he  was  ready  to 
commence  operations.  This  time  for  commenc- 
ing was,  however,  a  matter  of  design  on  his  part, 
as  the  ice  during  the  winter  would  assist  very 
much,  he  thought,  in  the  work  of  laying  the 
necessary  foundations ;  for  the  fortress  was  not 
to  stand  on  the  solid  land,  but  on  a  sandbank 
which  projected  from  the  land  on  the  side  to- 
ward the  navigable  channel.     The  site  of  the 


1703.]   Building  St.  Petersburg.  223 

Mode  of  laying  the  foundations.  DaDger  from  the  Swedes. 

fortress  was  to  be  about  a  cannon-shot  from  the 
land,  where,  being  surrounded  by  shallow  water 
on  every  side,  it  could  not  be  approached  either 
by  land  or  sea. 

Peter  laid  the  foundations  of  this  fortress  on 
the  ice  by  building  immense  boxes  of  timber  and 
plank,  and  loading  them  with  stones.  When  the 
ice  melted  in  the  spring  these  structures  sank 
into  the  sand,  and  formed  a  stable  and  solid 
foundation  on  which  he  could  afterward  build 
at  pleasure.  This  was  the  origin  of  the  famous 
Castle  of  Cronstadt,  which  has  since  so  well  ful- 
filled its  purpose  that  it  has  kept  the  powerful 
navies  of  Europe  at  bay  in  time  of  war,  and  pre- 
vented their  reaching  the  city. 

Besides  this  great  fortress,  Peter  erected  sev- 
eral detached  batteries  at  different  parts  of  the 
island,  so  as  to  prevent  the  land  from  being  ap- 
proached at  all  by  the  boats  of  the  enemy. 

At  length  the  King  of  Sweden  began  to  be 
somewhat  alarmed  at  the  accounts  which  he  re- 
ceived of  what  Peter  was  doing,  and  he  determ- 
ined to  attack  him  on  the  ground,  and  destroy 
his  works  before  he  proceeded  any  farther  with 
them.  He  accordingly  ordered  the  admiral  of 
the  fleet  to  assemble  his  ships,  to  sail  up  the 
Gulf  of  Finland,  and  there  attack  and  destroy 
the  settlement  which  Peter  was  making. 


224  Peter  the  Great.         [1704. 

Plan  of  their  attack.  The  Swedes  beaten  off. 

The  admiral  made  the  attempt,  but  he  found 
that  he  was  too  late.  The  works  were  advanced 
too  far,  and  had  become  too  strong  for  him.  It 
was  on  the  4th  of  July,  1704,  that  the  Eussian 
scouts,  who  were  watching  on  the  shores  of  the 
bay,  saw  the  Swedish  ships  coming  up.  The 
fleet  consisted  of  twenty-two  men-of-war,  and 
many  other  vessels.  Besides  the  forts  and  bat- 
teries, the  Eussians  had  a  number  of  ships  of 
their  own  at  anchor  in  the  waters,  and  as  the 
fleet  advanced  a  tremendous  cannonade  was 
opened  on  both  sides,  the  ships  of  the  Swedes 
against  the  ships  and  batteries^  of  the  Eussians. 
When  the  Swedish  fleet  had  advanced  as  far 
toward  the  island  as  the  depth  of  the  water 
would  allow,  they  let  down  from  the  decks  of 
their  vessels  a  great  number  of  flat-bottomed 
boats,  which  they  had  brought  for  the  purpose, 
and  filled  them  with  armed  men.  Their  plan 
was  to  land  these  men  on  the  island,  and  carry 
the  Eussian  batteries  there  at  the  point  of  the 
bayonet. 

But  they  did  not  succeed.  They  were  re- 
ceived so  hotly  by  the  Eussians  that,  after  an 
obstinate  contest,  they  were  forced  to  retreat. 
They  endeavored  to  get  back  to  their  boats,  but 
were  pursued  by  the  Eussians;  and  now,  as 
their  backs  were  turned,  they  could  no  longer 


1704]  Building  St.  Petersburg.  225 

The  attempt  entirely  fails.  Mechanics  and  artisans. 

defend  themselves,  and  a  great  many  were  kill- 
ed. Even  those  that  were  not  killed  did  not  all 
succeed  in  making  their  escape.  A  considerable 
number,  rinding  that  they  should  not  be  able  to 
get  to  the  boats,  threw  down  their  arms,  and 
surrendered  themselve's  prisoners ;  and  then,  of 
course,  the  boats  which  they  belonged  to  were 
taken.  Five  of  the  boats  thus  fell  into  the 
hands  of  the  Eussians.  The  others  were  rowed 
back  with  all  speed  to  the  ships,  and  then  the 
ships  withdrew.  Thus  the  attempt  failed  en- 
tirely. The  admiral  reported  the  ill  success  of 
his  expedition  to.  the  king,  and  not  long  after- 
ward another  similar  attempt  was  made,  but 
with  no  better  success  than  before. 

The  new  city  was  now  considered  as  firmly 
established,  and  from  this  time  it  advanced  very 
rapidly  in  wealth  and  population.  Peter  gave 
great  encouragement  to  foreign  mechanics  and 
artisans  to  come  and  settle  in  the  town,  offering 
to  some  lands,  to  others  houses,  and  to  others 
high  wages  for  their  work.  The  nobles  built 
elegant  mansions  there  in  the  streets  set  apart 
for  them,  and  many  public  buildings  of  great 
splendor  were  planned  and  commenced.  The 
business  of  building  ships,  too,  was  introduced 
on  an  extended  scale.  The  situation  was  very 
favorable  for  this  purpose,  as  the  shores  of  the 


226  Peter  the  Great.         [1704. 

Various  improvements.  Scientific  institutions. 

river  afforded  excellent  sites  for  dock-yards,  and 
the  timber  required  could  be  supplied  in  great 
quantities  from  the  shores  of  Lake  Ladoga. 

In  a  very  few  years  after  the  first  foundation 
of  the  city,  Peter  began  to  establish  literary  and 
scientific  institutions  there.  Many  of  these  in- 
stitutions have  since  become  greatly  renowned, 
and  they  contribute  a  large  share,  at  the  pres- 
ent day,  to  the  eclat  which  surrounds  this  cel- 
ebrated city,  and  which  makes  it  one  of  the 
most  splendid  and  renowned  of  the  European 
caoitals. 


1708.]  The  Revolt  of  Mazeppa.  227 

Progress  of  the  war.  Peter's  fleet. 


Chapter  XII. 
The  Revolt  of  Mazeppa. 

IN  the  mean  time  the  war  with  Sweden  went 
on.  Many  campaigns  were  fought,  for  the 
contest  was  continued  through  several  success- 
ive years.  The  King  of  Sweden  made  repeat- 
ed attempts  to  destroy  the  new  city  of  St.  Pe- 
tersburg, but  without  success.  On  the  contrary, 
the  town  grew  and  prospered  more  and  more ; 
and  the  shelter  and  protection  which  the  forti- 
fications around  it  afforded  to  the  mouth  of  the 
river  and  to  the  adjacent  roadsteads  enabled 
the  Czar  to  go  on  so  rapidly  in  building  new 
ships,  and  in  thus  increasing  and  strengthening 
his  fleet,  that  very  soon  he  was  much  stronger 
than  the  King  of  Sweden  in  all  the  neighbor- 
ing waters,  so  that  he  not  only  was  able  to  keep 
the  enemy  very  effectually  at  bay,  but  he  even 
made  several  successful  descents  upon  the 
Swedish  territory  along  the  adjoining  coasts. 

But,  while  the  Czar  was  thus  rapidly  increas- 
ing his  power  at  sea,  the  King  of  Sweden  proved 
himself  the  strongest  on  land.     He  extended 


228  Peter  the   Great.         [1708. 

The  King  of  Sweden's  successes.  Peter  wishes  to  make  peace. 

his  conquests  very  rapidly  in  Poland  and  in  the 
adjoining  provinces,  and  at  last,  in  the  summer 
of  1708,  he  conceived  the  design  of  crossing  the 
Dnieper  and  threatening  Moscow,  which,  was 
still  Peter's  capital.  He  accordingly  pushed  his 
forces  forward  until  he  approached  the  bank  of 
the  river.  He  came  up  to  it  at  a  certain  point, 
as  if  he  was  intending  to  cross  there.  Peter 
assembled  all  his  troops  on  the  opposite  side  of 
the  river  at  that  point  in  order  to  oppose  him. 
But  the  demonstration  which  the  king  made  of 
an  intention  to  cross  at  that  point  was  only  a 
pretense.  He  left  a  sufficient  number  of  men 
there  to  make  a  show,  and  secretly  marched 
away  the  great  body  of  his  troops  in  the  night 
to  a  point  about  three  miles  farther  up  the  riv- 
er, where  he  succeeded  in  crossing  with  them 
before  the  emperor's  forces  had  any  suspicion 
of  his  real  design.  The  Russians,  who  were  not 
strong  enough  to  oppose  him  in  the  open  field, 
were  obliged  immediately  to  retreat,  and  leave 
him  in  full  possession  of  the  ground. 

Peter  was  now  much  alarmed.  He  sent  an 
officer  to  the  camp  of  the  King  of  Sweden  with 
a  flag  of  truce,  to  ask  on  what  terms  the  king 
would  make  peace  with  him.  But  Charles  was 
too  much  elated  with  his  success  in  crossing  the 
\Lver.  and  placing  himself  in  a  position  from 


1708.]  The  Eevolt  of  Mazeppa.  229 

The  replj^  Plan  changed.  Mazeppa  and  the  Cossacks. 

which  he  could  advance,  without  encountering 
any  farther  obstruction,  to  the  very  gates  of  the 
capital,  to  be  willing  then  to  propose  any  terms. 
So  he  declined  entering  into  any  negotiation, 
saying  only  in  a  haughty  tone  "  that  he  would 
treat  with  his  brother  Peter  at  Moscow." 

On  mature  reflection,  however,  he  seems  to 
have  concluded  that  it  would  be  more  prudent 
for  him  not  to  march  at  once  to  Moscow,  and 
so  he  turned  his  course  for  a  time  toward  the 
southward,  in  the  direction  of  the  Crimea  and 
the  Black  Sea. 

There  was  one  secret  reason  which  induced 
the  King  of  Sweden  to  move  thus  to  the  south- 
ward which  Peter  did  not  for  a  time  understand. 
The  country  of  the  Cossacks  lay  in  that  direc- 
tion, and  the  famous  Mazeppa,  of  whom  some 
account  has  already  been  given  in  this  volume, 
was  the  chieftain  of  the  Cossacks,  and  he,  as  it 
happened,  had  had  a  quarrel  with  the  Czar,  and 
in  consequence  of  it  had  opened  a  secret  nego- 
tiation with  the  King  of  Sweden,  and  had  agreed 
that  if  the  king  would  come  into  his  part  of  the 
country  he  would  desert  the  cause  of  the  Czar, 
and  would  come  over  to  his  side,  with  all  the 
Cossacks  under  his  command. 

The  cause  of  Mazeppa's  quarrel  with  the  Czar 
was  this :  He  was  one  day  paying  a  visit  to  his 


230  Peter  the  Great.        [1708. 

Plans  for  reforming  the  Cossacks.  Mazeppa  opposes  them. 

majesty,  and,  while  seated  at  table,  Peter  began 
to  complain  of  the  lawless  and  ungovernable 
character  of  the  Cossacks,  and  to  propose  that 
Mazeppa  should  introduce  certain  reforms  in 
the  organization  and  discipline  of  the  tribe,  with 
a  view  of  bringing  them  under  more  effectual 
control.  It  is  probable  that  the  reforms  which 
he  proposed  were  somewhat  analogous  to  those 
which  he  had  introduced  so  successfully  into 
the  armies  under  his  own  more  immediate  com- 
mand. 

Mazeppa  opposed  this  suggestion.  He  said 
that  the  attempt  to  adopt  such  measures  with 
the  Cossacks  would  never  succeed;  that  the 
men  were  so  wild  and  savage  by  nature,  and  so 
fixed  in  the  rude  and  irregular  habits  of  war- 
fare to  which  they  and  their  fathers  had  been 
so  long  accustomed,  that  they  could  never  be 
made  to  submit  to  such  restrictions  as  a  regular 
military  discipline  would  impose. 

Peter,  who  never  could  endure  the  least  op- 
position or  contradiction  to  any  of  his  ideas  or 
plans,  became  quite  angry  with  Mazeppa  on  ac- 
count of  the  objections  which  he  made  to  his 
proposals,  and,  as  was  usual  with  him  in  such 
cases,  he  broke  out  in  the  most  rude  and  violent 
language  imaginable.  He  called  Mazeppa  an 
enemy  and  a  traitor,  and  threatened  to  have  him 


1708.]  The  Eevolt  of  Mazeppa.  231 

The  quarrel.  Mazeppa' s  treasonable  designs.  The  plot  defeated. 

impaled  alive.  It  is  true  he  did  not  really  mean 
what  he  said,  his  words  being  only  empty 
threats  dictated  by  the  brutal  violence  of  his 
anger.  Still,  Mazeppa  was  very  much  offend- 
ed. He  went  away  from  the  Czar's  tent  mut- 
tering his  displeasure,  and  resolving  secretly  on 
revenge. 

Soon  after  this  Mazeppa  opened  the  com- 
munication above  referred  to  with  the  King  of 
Sweden,  and  at  last  an  agreement  was  made 
between  them  by  which  it  was  stipulated  that 
the  king  was  to  advance  into  the  southern  part 
of  the  country,  where,  of  course,  the  Cossacks 
would  be  sent  out  to  meet  him,  and  then  Ma- 
zeppa was  to  revolt  from  the  Czar,  and  go  over 
with  all  his  forces  to  the  King  of  Sweden's  side. 
By  this  means  the  Czar's  army  was  sure,  they 
thought,  to  be  defeated;  and  in  this  case  the 
King  of  Sweden  was  to  remain  in  possession  of 
the  Eussian  territory,  while  the  Cossacks  were 
to  retire  to  their  own  fortresses,  and  live  thence- 
forth as  an  independent  tribe. 

The  plot  seemed  to  be  very  well  laid ;  but, 
unfortunately  for  the  contrivers  of  it,  it  was  not 
destined  to  succeed.  In  the  first  place,  Mazep- 
pa's  scheme  of  revolting  with  the  Cossacks  to 
the  enemy  was  discovered  by  the  Czar,  and  al- 
most entirely  defeated,  before  the  time  arrived 


232  Petee  the  Geeat.         [1708. 

Precautions  of  the  Czar.  Mazeppa's  plans. 

for  putting  it  into  execution.  Peter  had  his 
secret  agents  every  where,  and  through  them 
he  received  such  information  in  respect  to  Ma- 
zeppa's movements  as  led  him  to  suspect  his 
designs.  He  said  nothing,  however,  but  ma- 
nceuvred  his  forces  so  as  to  have  a  large  bod}^ 
of  troops  that  he  could  rely  upon  always  near 
Mazeppa  and  the  Cossacks,  and  between  them 
and  the  army  of  the  Swedes.  He  ordered  the 
officers  of  these  troops  to  watch  Mazeppa's 
movements  closely,  and  to  be  ready  to  act 
against  him  at  a  moment's  notice,  should  occa- 
sion require.  Mazeppa  was  somewhat  discon- 
certed in  his  plans  by  this  state  of  things ;  but 
he  could  not  make  any  objection,  for  the  troops 
thus  stationed  near  him  seemed  to  be  placed 
there  for  the  purpose  of  co-operating  with  him 
against  the  enemy. 

In  the  mean  time,  Mazeppa  cautiously  made 
known  his  plans  to  the  leading  men  among  the 
Cossacks  as  fast  as  he  thought  it  prudent  to  do 
so.  He  represented  to  them  how  much  better 
it  would  be  for  them  to  be  restored  to  their 
former  liberty  as  an  independent  tribe,  instead 
of  being  in  subjugation  to  such  a  despot  as  the 
Czar.  He  also  enumerated  the  various  griev- 
ances which  they  suffered  under  Eussian  rule, 
and  endeavored  to  excite  the  animosity  of  his 


1708.]  The  Revolt  of  Mazeppa.   238 

He  goes  on  step  by  step.  He  sends  his  nephew  to  the  Czar. 

hearers  as  much  as  possible  against  Peter's 
government. 

He  found  that  the  chief  officers  of  the  Cos- 
sacks seemed  quite  disposed  to  listen  to  what 
he  said,  and  to  adopt  his  views.  Some  of  them 
were  really  so,  and  others  pretended  to  be  so 
for  fear  of  displeasing  him.  At  length  he 
thought  it  time  to  take  some  measures  for  pre- 
paring the  minds  of  the  men  generally  for  what 
was  to  come,  and  in  order  to  do  this  he  determ- 
ined on  publicly  sending  a  messenger  to  the 
Czar  with  the  complaints  which  he  had  to 
make  in  behalf  of  his  men.  The  men,  know- 
ing of  this  embassy,  and  understanding  the 
grounds  of  the  complaint  which  Mazeppa  was 
to  make  by  means  of  it,  would  be  placed,  he 
thought,  in  such  a  position  that,  in  the  event  of 
an  unfavorable  answer  being  returned,  as  he 
had  no  doubt  would  be  the  case,  they  could  be 
the  more  easily  led  into  the  revolt  which  he 
proposed. 

Mazeppa  accordingly  made  out  a  statement 
of  his  complaints,  and  appointed  his  nephew  a 
commissioner  to  proceed  to  head-quarters  and 
lay  them  before  the  Czar.  The  name  of  the 
nephew  was  Warnarowski.  As  soon  as  "War- 
narowski  arrived  at  the  camp,  Peter,  instead  of 
granting  him  an  audience,  and  listening  to  the 


234  Peter  the  Great.         [1708. 

The  envoy  is  arrested.  Commotion  among  the  Cossacks. 

statement  which  he  had  to  make,  ordered  him 
to  be  seized  and  sent  to  prison,  as  if  he  were 
guilty  of  a  species  of  treason  in  coming  to 
trouble  his  sovereign  with  complaints  and  dif- 
ficulties at  such  a  time,  when  the  country  was 
suffering  under  an  actual  invasion  from  a  for- 
eign enemy. 

As  soon  as  Mazeppa  heard  that  his  nephew 
was  arrested,  he  was  convinced  that  his  plots 
had  been  discovered,  and  that  he  must  not  lose 
a  moment  in  carrying  them  into  execution,  or 
all  would  be  lost.  He  accordingly  immediately 
put  his  whole  force  in  motion  to  march  toward 
the  place  where  the  Swedish  army  was  then 
posted,  ostensibly  for  the  purpose  of  attacking 
them.  He  crossed  a  certain  river  which  lay 
between  him  and  the  Swedes,  and  then,  when 
safely  over,  he  stated  to  his  men  what  he  in- 
tended to  do. 

The  men  were  filled  with  indignation  at  this 
proposal,  which,  being  wholly  unexpected,  came 
upon  them  by  surprise.  They  refused  to  join 
in  the  revolt.  A  scene  of  great  excitement  and 
confusion  followed.  A  portion  of  the  Cossacks, 
those  with  whom  Mazeppa  had  come  to  an  un- 
derstanding beforehand;  were  disposed  to  go 
with  him,  but  the  rest  were  filled  with  vexation 
and  rage.    They  declared  that  they  would  seize 


1708.]  The  Kevolt  of  Mazeppa.  235 

Failure  of  the  plot.       Mazeppa' s  trial  and  condemnation.       The  effigy. 

their  chieftain,  bind  him  hand  and  foot,  and 
send  him  to  the  Czar.  Indeed,  it  is  highly 
probable  that  the  two  factions  would  have 
come  soon  to  a  bloody  fight  for  the  possession 
of  the  person  of  their  chieftain,  in  which  case 
he  would  very  likely  have  been  torn  to  pieces 
in  the  struggle,  if  those  who  were  disposed  to 
revolt  had  not  fled  before  the  opposition  to 
their  movement  had  time  to  become  organized. 
Mazeppa  and  those  who  adhered  to  him — about 
two  thousand  men  in  all — went  over  in  a  body 
to  the  camp  of  the  Swedes.  The  rest,  led  by  the 
officers  that  still  remained  faithful,  marched  at 
once  to  the  nearest  body  of  Russian  forces,  and 
put  themselves  under  the  command  of  the  Rus- 
sian general  there. 

A  council  of  war  was  soon  after  called  in  the 
Russian  camp  for  the  purpose  of  bringing  Ma- 
zeppa to  trial.  He  was,  of  course,  found  guilty, 
and  sentence  of  death — with  a  great  many  in- 
dignities to  accompany  the  execution — was 
passed  upon  him.  The  sentence,  however, 
could  not  be  executed  upon  Mazeppa  himself, 
for  he  was  out  of  the  reach  of  his  accusers, 
being  safe  in  the  Swedish  camp.  So  they  made 
a  wooden  image  or  effigy  to  represent  him,  and 
inflicted  the  penalties  upon  the  substitute  in- 
stead. 


236  Peter  the  Great.        [1708. 

Execution  of  the  sentence  upon  the  effigy.  New  chieftain  chosen. 

In  the  first  place,  they  dressed  the  effigy  to 
imitate  the  appearance  of  Mazeppa,  and  put 
upon  it  representations  of  the  medals,  ribbons, 
and  other  decorations  which  he  was  accustomed 
to  wear.  They  brought  this  figure  out  before 
the  camp,  in  presence  of  the  general  and  of  all 
the  leading  officers,  the  soldiers  being  also  drawn 
up  around  the  spot.  A  herald  appeared  and 
read  the  sentence  of  condemnation,  and  then 
proceeded  to  carry  it  into  execution,  as  follows. 
First,  he  tore  Mazeppa's  patent  of  knighthood 
in  pieces,  and  threw  the  fragments  into  the  air. 
Then  he  tore  off  the  medals  and  decorations 
from  the  image,  and,  throwing  them  upon  the 
ground,  he  trampled  them  under  his  feet.  Then 
he  struck  the  effigy  itself  a  blow  by  which  it 
was  overturned  and  left  prostrate  in  the  dust. 

The  hangman  then  came  up,  and,  tying  a 
halter  round  the  neck  of  the  effigy,  dragged  it 
off  to  a  place  where  a  gibbet  had  been  erected, 
and  hanged  it  there. 

Immediately  after  this  ceremony,  the  Cos- 
sacks, according  to  their  custom,  proceeded  to 
elect  a  new  chieftain  in  the  place  of  Mazeppa. 
The  chieftain  thus  chosen  came  forward  before 
the  Czar  to  take  the  oath  of  allegiance  to  him, 
and  to  offer  him  his  homage. 


1709.]  The   Battle   of   Pultowa.  237 


Invasion  of  the  Swedes.  Their  progress  through  the  country. 


Chapter  XIII. 
The  Battle  of  Pultowa. 

IN  the  mean  time,  while  these  transactions 
had  been  taking  place  among  the  Russians, 
the  King  of  Sweden  had  been  gradually  mak- 
ing his  way  toward  the  westward  and  south- 
ward, into  the  very  heart  of  the  Russian  domin- 
ions. The  forces  of  the  emperor,  which  were 
not  strong  enough  to  offer  him  battle,  had  been 
gradually  retiring  before  him ;  but  they  had 
devastated  and  destroyed  every  thing  on  their 
way,  in  their  retreat,  so  as  to  leave  nothing  for 
the  support  of  the  Swedisk  army.  They  broke 
up  all  the  bridges  too,  and  obstructed  the  roads 
by  every  means  in  their  power,  so  as  to  impede 
the  progress  of  the  Swedes  as  much  as  possible, 
since  they  could  not  wholly  arrest  it. 

The  Swedes,  however,  pressed  slowly  on- 
ward. They  sent  off  to  great  distances  to  pro- 
cure forage  for  the  horses  and  food  for  the  men. 
When  they  found  the  bridges  down,  they  made 
detours  and  crossed  the  rivers  at  fording-places. 
When  the  roads  were  obstructed,  they  removed 


238  Petek  the  Great.         [1709. 

Artificial  roads.  Pultowa.  Fame  of  the  battle. 

the  impediments  if  they  could,  and  if  not,  they 
opened  new  roads.  Sometimes,  in  these  cases, 
their  way  led  them  across  swampy  places  where 
no  solid  footing  could  be  found,  and  then  the 
men  would  cut  down  an  immense  quantity 
of  bushes  and  trees  growing  in  the  neighbor- 
hood, and  make  up  the  branches  into  bundles 
called  fascines.  They  would  lay  these  bundles 
close  together  on  the  surface  of  the  swamp,  and 
then  level  them  off  on  the  top  by  loose  branch- 
es, and  so  make  a  road  firm  enough  for  the  army 
to  march  over. 

Things  went  on  in  this  way  until,  at  last,  the 
farther  progress  of  King  Charles  was  arrested, 
and  the  tide  of  fortune  was  turned  wholly 
against  him  by  a  great  battle  which  was  fought 
at  a  place  called  Pultowa.  This  battle,  which, 
after  so  protracted  a  struggle,  at  length  suddenly 
terminated  the  contest  between  the  king  and 
the  Czar,  of  course  attracted  universal  attention 
at  the  time,  for  Charles  and  Peter  were  the 
greatest  potentates  and  warriors  of  their  age, 
and  the  struggle  for  power  which  had  so  long 
been  waged  between  them  had  been  watched 
with  great  interest,  through  all  the  stages  of  it, 
by  the  whole  civilized  world.  The  battle  of 
Pultowa  was,  in  a  word,  one  of  those  great  final 
conflicts  by  which,  after  a  long  struggle,  the  fate 


1709.]  The  Battle  of  Pultowa.  239 

Situation  of  Pultowa.  It  is  besieged.  Menzikoff. 

of  an  empire  is  decided.  It,  of  course,  greatly 
attracted  the  attention  of  mankind,  and  has  since 
taken  its  place  among  the  most  renowned  com- 
bats of  history. 

Pultowa  is  a  town  situated  in  the  heart  of  the 
Russian  territories  three  or  four  hundred  miles 
north  of  the  Black  Sea.  It  stands  on  a  small 
river  which  flows  to  the  southward  and  west- 
ward into  the  Dnieper.  It  was  at  that  time  an 
important  military  station,  as  it  contained  great 
arsenals  where  large  stores  of  food  and  of  am- 
munition were  laid  up  for  the  use  of  Peter's 
army.  The  King  of  Sweden  determined  to 
take  this  town.  His  principal  object  in  desir- 
ing to  get  possession  of  it  was  to  supply  the 
wants  of  his  army  by  the  provisions  that  were 
stored  there.  The  place  was  strongly  fortified, 
and  it  was  defended  by  a  garrison;  but  the 
king  thought  that  he  should  be  able  to  take  it, 
and  he  accordingly  advanced  to  the  walls,  in- 
vested the  place  closely  on  every  side,  and  com- 
menced the  siege. 

The  name  of  the  general  in  command  of  the 
largest  body  of  Russian  forces  near  the  spot 
was  Menzikoff,  and  as  soon  as  the  King  of  Swe- 
den had  invested  the  place,  Menzikoff  began  to 
advance  toward  it  in  order  to  relieve  it.  Then 
followed  a  long  series  of  manoeuvres  and  par- 


240  Peter  the  .Great.         [1709. 

Manoeuvres.  Menzikoff  most  successful.  King  Charles  wounded. 

tial  combats  between  the  two  armies,  the  Swedes 
being  occupied  with  the  double  duty  of  attack- 
ing the  town,  and  also  of  defending  themselves 
from  Menzikoff;  while  Menzikoff,  on  the  other 
hand,  was  intent,  first  on  harassing  the  Swedes 
and  impeding  as  much  as  possible  their  siege 
operations,  and,  secondly,  on  throwing  succors 
into  the  town. 

In  this  contest  Menzikoff  was,  on  the  whole, 
most  successful.  He  contrived  one  night  to 
pass  a  detachment  of  his  troops  through  the 
gates  of  Pultowa  into  the  town  to  strengthen 
the  garrison.  This  irritated  the  King  of  Swe- 
den, and  made  him  more  determined  and  reck- 
less than  ever  to  press  the  siege.  Under  this 
excitement  he  advanced  so  near  the  walls  one 
day,  in  a  desperate  effort  to  take  possession  of 
an  advanced  part  of  the  works,  that  he  exposed 
himself  to  a  shot  from  the  ramparts,  and  was 
badly  wounded  in  the  heel. 

This  wound  nearly  disabled  him.  He  was 
obliged  by  it  to  confine  himself  to  his  tent,  and 
to  content  himself  with  giving  orders  from  his 
couch  or  litter,  where  he  lay  helpless  and  in 
great  pain,  and  in  a  state  of  extreme  mental 
disquietude. 

His  anxiety  was  greatly  increased  in  a  few 
days  in  consequence  of  intelligence  which  was 


1709.]  The  Battle  of  Pultowa.  241 

The  Czar  advances  to  Pultowa.      The  king  resolves  to  attack  the  camp. 

brought  into  his  camp  by  the  scouts,  that  "Peter 
himself  was  advancing  to  the  relief  of  Pultowa 
at  the  head  of  a  very  large  army.  Indeed,  the 
tidings  were  that  this  great  force  was  close  at 
hand.  The  king  found  that  he  was  in  danger 
of  being  surrounded.  Nor  could  he  well  hope 
to  escape  the  danger  by  a  retreat,  for  the  broad 
and  deep  river  Dnieper,  which  he  had  crossed 
to  come  to  the  siege  of  Pultowa,  was  behind 
him,  and  if  the  Eussians  were  to  fall  upon  him 
while  attempting  to  cross  it,  he  knew  very  well 
that  his  whole  army  would  be  cut  to  pieces. 

He  lay  restless  on  his  litter  in  his  tent,  his 
thoughts  divided  between  the  anguish  of  the 
wound  in  his  heel  and  the  mental  anxiety  and 
distress  produced  by  the  situation  that  he  was 
in*  He  spent  the  night  in  great  perplexity  and 
suffering.  At  length,  toward  morning,  he  came 
to  the  desperate  resolution  of  attacking  the  Eus- 
sians in  their  camp,  inferior  as  his  own  numbers 
were  now  to  theirs. 

He  accordingly  sent  a  messenger  to  the  field- 
marshal,  who  was  chief  officer  in  command 
under  himself,  summoning  him  to  his  tent. 
The  field-marshal  was  aroused  from  his  sleep, 
for  it  was  not  yet  day,  and  immediately  repair- 
ed to  the  king's  tent.  The  king  was  lying  on 
his  couch,  quiet  and  calm,  and,  with  an  air  of 
Q 


242  Peter  the  Great.        [1709. 

A  battle  determined  upon.  Military  rank  of  the  Czar. 

great  serenity  and  composure,  lie  gave  the  mar- 
shal orders  to  beat  to  arms  and  march  out  to 
attack  the  Czar  in  his  intrenchments  as  soon  as 
daylight  should  appear. 

The  field-marshal  was  astonished  at  this  or- 
der, for  he  knew  that  the  Eussians  were  now 
far  superior  in  numbers  to  the  Swedes,  and  he 
supposed  that  the  only  hope  of  the  king  would 
be  to  defend  himself  where  he  was  in  his  camp, 
or  else  to  attempt  a  retreat.  He,  however, 
knew  that  there  was  nothing  to  be  done  but  to 
obey  his  orders.  So  he  received  the  instruc- 
tions which  the  king  gave  him,  said  that  he 
would  carry  them  into  execution,  and  then  re- 
tired. The  king  then  at  length  fell  into  a  troub- 
led sleep,  and  slept  until  the  break  of  day. 

By  this  time  the  whole  camp  was  in  motion. 
The  Eussians,  too,  who  in  their  intrenchments 
had  received  the  alarm,  had  aroused  themselves 
and  were  preparing  for  battle.  The  Czar  him- 
self was  not  the  commander.  He  had  prided 
himself,  as  the  reader  will  recollect,  in  entering 
the  army  at  the  lowest  point,  and  in  advancing 
regularly,  step  by  step,  through  all  the  grades, 
as  any  other  officer  would  have  done.  He  had 
now  attained  the  rank  of  major  general ;  and 
though,  as  Czar,  he  gave  orders  through  his 
ministers  to    the    commander-in-chief  of  the 


1700.]  The  Battle  of  Pultowa.  243 

Ilia  address  to  the  army.  The  litter.  The  battle. 

armies  directing  them  in  general  what  to  do, 
still  personally,  in  camp  and  in  the  field  of  bat- 
tle, he  received  orders  from  his  military  supe- 
rior there ;  and  he  took  a  pride  and  pleasure  in 
the  subordination  to  his  superior's  authority 
which  the  rules  of  the  service  required  of  him. 

He,  however,  as  it  seems,  did  not  always  en- 
tirely lay  aside  his  imperial  character  while  in 
camp,  for  in  this  instance,  while  the  men  were 
formed  in  array,  and  before  the  battle  com- 
menced, he  rode  to  and  fro  along  their  lines, , 
encouraging  the  men,  and  promising,  as  their 
sovereign,  to  bestow  rewards  upon  them  in  pro- 
portion to  the  valor  which  they  should  sever- 
ally display  in  the  coming  combat. 

The  King  of  Sweden,  too,  was  raised  from  his 
couch,  placed  upon  a  litter,  and  in  this  manner 
carried  along  the  lines  of  his  own  army  just  be- 
fore the  battle  was  to  begin.  He"  told  the  men 
that  they  were  about  to  attack  an  enemy  more 
numerous  than  themselves,  but  that  they  must 
remember  that  at  Narva  eight  thousand  Swedes 
had  overcome  a  hundred  thousand  Eussians  in 
their  own  intrenchments,  and  what  they  had 
done  once,  he  said,  they  could  do  again. 

The  battle  was  commenced  very  early  in  the 
morning.  It  was  complicated  at  the  beginning 
with  many  marches,  countermarches,  and  ma- 


244  Petee  the  Great.         [1709. 


Courage  and  fortitude  of  the  king.  The  Swedes  defeated. 

nceuvres,  in  which  the  several  divisions  of  both 
the  Russian  and  Swedish  armies,  and  the  gar- 
rison of  Pultowa,  all  took  part.  In  some  places 
and  at  some  times  the  victory  was  on  one  side, 
and  at  others  on  the  other.  King  Charles  was 
carried  in  his  litter  into  the  thickest  of  the  bat- 
tle, where,  after  a  time,  he  became  so  excited  by 
the  contest  that  he  insisted  on  being  put  upon 
a  horse.  The  attendants  accordingly  brought  a 
horse  and  placed  him. carefully  upon  it ;  but  the 
,pain  of  his  wound  brought  on  faintness,  and  he 
was  obliged  to  be  put  back  in  his  litter  again. 
Soon  after  this  a  cannon  ball  struck  the  litter 
and  dashed  it  to  pieces.  The  king  was  thrown 
out  upon  the  ground.  Those  who  saw  him  fall 
supposed  that  he  was  killed,  and  they  were 
struck  with  consternation. '  They  had  been  al- 
most overpowered  by  their  enemies  before,  but 
they  were  now  wholly  disheartened  and  dis- 
couraged, and  they  began  to  give  way  and  fly 
in  all  directions. 

The  king  had,  however,  not  been  touched  by 
the  ball  which  struck  the  litter.  He  was  at 
once  raised  from  the  ground  by  the  officers 
around  him,  and  borne  away  out  of  the  im- 
mediate danger.  He  remonstrated  earnestly 
against  being  taken  away,  and  insisted  upon 
making  an  effort  to  rally  his  men ;  but  the  of- 


1709.]  The  Battle   of  Pultowa.  245 

Narrow  escape  of  the  Czar.  He  discovers  the  hroken  litter. 

ficers  soon  persuaded  him  that  for  the  present, 
at  least,  all  was  lost,  and  that  the  only  hope  for 
him  was  to  make  his  escape  as  soon  as  possible 
across  the  river,  and  thence  over  the  frontier 
into  Turkey,  where  he  would  be  safe  from  pur- 
suit, and  could  then  consider  what  it  would  be 
best  to  do. 

The  king  at  length  reluctantly  yielded  to 
these  persuasions,  and  was  borne  away. 

In  the  mean  time,  the  Czar  himself  had  been 
exposed  to  great  danger  in  the  battle,  and,  like 
the  King  of  Sweden,  had  met  with  some  very 
narrow  escapes.  His  hat  was  shot  through  with 
a  bullet  which  half  an  inch  lower  would  have 
gone  through  the  emperor's  head.  General 
Menzikoff  had  three  horses  shot  under  him. 
But,  notwithstanding  these  dangers,  the  Czar 
pressed  on  into  the  thickest  of  the  fight,  and 
was  present  at  the  head  of  his  men  when  the 
Swedes  were  finally  overwhelmed  and  driven 
from  the  field.  Indeed,  he  was  among  the  fore- 
most who  pursued  them ;  and  when  he  came  to 
the  place  where  the  royal  litter  was  lying, 
broken  to  pieces,  on  the  ground,  he  expressed 
great  concern  for  the  fate  of  his  enemy,  and 
seemed  to  regret  the  calamity  which  had  be- 
fallen him  as  if  Charles  had  been  his  friend. 
He  had  always  greatly  admired  the  courage 


216  Peter  the  Great.        [1709. 

Escape  of  King  Charles.  Dreadful  defeat. 

and  the  military  skill  which  the  King  of  Swe- 
den had  manifested  in  his  campaigns,  and  wras 
disposed  to  respect  his  misfortunes  now  that  he 
had  fallen.  He  supposed  that  he  was  unques- 
tionably killed,  and  he  gave  orders  to  his  men 
to  search  every  where  over  the  field  for  the 
body,  and  to  guard  it,  when  found,  from  any 
farther  violence  or  injury,  and  take  charge  of 
it,  that  it  might  receive  an  honorable  burial. 

The  body  was,  of  course,  not  found,  for  the 
king  was  alive,  and,  with  the  exception  of  the 
wound  in  his  heel,  uninjured.  He  was  borne 
off  from  the  field  by  a  few  faithful  adherents, 
who  took  him  in  their  arms  when  the  litter  was 
broken  up.  As  soon  as  they  had  conveyed 
him  in  this  manner  out  of  immediate  danger, 
they  hastily  constructed  another  litter  in  order 
to  bear  him  farther  away.  He  was  himself  ex- 
tremely unwilling  "to  go.  He  was  very  earnest 
to  make  an  effort  to  rally  his  men,  and,  if  pos- 
sible, save  his  army  from  total  ruin.  But  he 
soon  found  that  it  was  in  vain  to  attempt  this. 
His  whole  force  had  been  thrown  into  utter 
confusion  ;  and  the  broken  battalions,  flying 
in  every  direction,  were  pursued  so  hotly  by 
the  Eussians,  who,  in  their  exultant  fury, 
slaughtered  all  whom  they  could  overtake, 
and  drove  the  rest  headlong  on  in  a  state  of 


1709.]  The   Battle  of  Pultowa.  247 

Flight  and  adventures  of  the  king. 

panic  and  dismay  which  was  wholly  uncontrol- 
lable. 

Of  course  some  escaped,  but  great  numbers 
were  taken  prisoners.  Many  of  the  officers, 
separated  from  their  men,  wandered  about  in 
search  of  the  king,  being  without  any  rallying 
point  until  they  could  find  him.  After  suffer- 
ing many  cruel  hardships  and  much  exposure 
in  the  lurking-places  where  they  attempted  to 
conceal  themselves,  great  numbers  of  them 
were  hunted  out  by  their  enemies  and  made 
prisoners. . 

In  the  mean  time,  those  who  had  the  king 
under  their  charge  urged  his  majesty  to  alloy/ 
them  to  convey  him  with  all  speed  out  of  the 
country.  The  nearest  way  of  escape  was  to  go 
westward  to  the  Turkish  frontier,  which,  as  has 
already  been  said,  was  not  far  distant,  though 
there  were  three  rivers  to  cross  on  the  way — 
the  Dnieper,  the  Bog,  and  the  Dniester.  The 
king  was  very  unwilling  to  listen  to  this  advice. 
Peter  had  several  times  sent  a  flag  of  truce  to 
him  since  he  had  entered  into  the  Russian  do- 
minions, expressing  a  desire  to  make  peace,  and 
proposing  very  reasonable  terms  for  Charles  to 
accede  to.  To  all  these  proposals  Charles  had 
returned  the  same  answer  as  at  first,  wrhich  was, 
that  he  should  not  be  ready  to  treat  with  the 


248 

Peter 

THE 

O 

KE 

AT. 

[1709. 

He  offers 

now 

to  make  peace. 

The  king' 

s  followers. 

Czar  until  he  arrived  at  Moscow.  Charles  now 
said  that,  before  abandoning  the  country  alto- 
gether, he  would  send  a  herald  to  the  Eussian 
camp  to  say  that  he  was  now  willing  to  make 
peace  on  the  terms  which  Peter  had  before  pro- 
posed to  him,  if  Peter  was  still  willing  to  ad- 
here to  them. 

Charles  was  led  to  hope  that  this  proposal 
might  perhaps  be  successful,  from  the  fact  that 
there  was  a  portion  of  his  army  who  had  not 
been  engaged  at  Pultowa  that  was  still  safe; 
and  he  had  no  doubt  that  a  very  considerable 
number  of  men  would  succeed  in  escaping  from 
Pultowa  and  joining  them.  Indeed,  the  num- 
ber was  not  small  of  those  whom  the  king  had 
now  immediately  around  him,  for  all  that  es- 
caped from  the  battle  made  every  possible 
exertion  to  discover  and  rejoin  the  king,  and 
so  many  straggling  parties  came  that  he  soon 
had  under  his  command  a  force  of  one  or  two 
thousand  men.  This  was,  of  course,  but  a  small 
remnant  of  his  army.  Still,  he  felt  that  he  was 
not  wholly  destitute  of  means  and  resources  for 
carrying  on  the  struggle  in  case  Peter  should 
refuse  to  make  peace. 

So  he  sent  a  trumpeter  to  Peter's  camp  with 
the  message ;  but  Peter  sent  word  back  that  his 
majesty's  assent  to  the  terms  of  peace  which  he 


1709.]  The  Battle  of  Pultowa.  249 

Peter's  reply.  Carriage  for  the  king. 

had  proposed  to  him  came  too  late.  The  state 
of  things  had  now,  he  said,  entirely  changed ; 
and  as  Charles  had  ventured  to  penetrate  into 
the  Kussian  country  without  properly  consid- 
ering the  consequences  of  his  rashness,  he  must 
now  think  for  himself  how  he  was  to  get  out  of 
it.  For  his  part,  he  added,  he  had  got  the  birds 
in  the  net,  and  he  should  do  all  in  his  power  to 
secure  them. 

After  due  consultation  among  the  officers 
who  were  with  the  king,  it  was  finally  determ- 
ined that  it  was  useless  to  think  for  the  pres- 
ent of  any  farther  resistance,  and  the  king,  at 
last,  reluctantly  consented  to  be  conveyed  to 
the  Turkish  frontier.  He  was  too  ill  from  the 
effects  of  his  wound  to  ride  on  horseback,  and 
the  distance  was  too  great  for  him  to  be  con- 
veyed in  a  litter.  So  they  prepared  a  carriage 
for  him.  It  was  a  carriage  which  belonged  to 
one  of  his  generals,  and  which,  by  some  means 
or  other,  had  been  saved  in  the  flight  of  the 
army.  The  route  which  they  were  to  take  led 
across  the  country  where  there  were  scarcely 
any  roads,  and  a  team  of  twelve  horses  was 
harnessed  to  draw  the  carriage  which  conveyed 
the  king. 

No  time  was  to  be  lost.  The  confused  mass 
of  officers  and  men  who  had  escaped  from  the 


2.^0      ,       Peter  the   Great.         [1709- 

Flight  to  the  Turkish  frontier.  Sufferings  of  the  retreating  army. 

battle,  and  had  succeeded  in  rejoining  the  king, 
were  marshaled  into  something  like  a  military 
organization,  and  the  march,  or  rather  the  flight, 
commenced.  The  king's  carriage,  attended  by 
such  a  guard  as  could  be  provided  for  it,  went 
before,  and  was  followed  by  the  remnant  of  the 
army.  Some  of  the  men  were  on  horseback, 
Others  were  on  foot,  and  others  still,  sick  or 
wounded,  were  conveyed  on  little  wagons  of 
the  country,  which  were  drawn  along  in  a  very 
difficult  and  laborious  manner. 

This  mournful  train  moved  slowly  on  across 
the  country,  seeking,  of  course,  the  most  retired 
and  solitary  ways  to  avoid  pursuit,  and  yet 
harassed  by  the  continual  fear  that  the  enemy 
might  at  any  time  come  up  with  them.  The 
men  all  suffered  exceedingly  from  want  of  food, 
and  from  the  various  other  hardships  incident 
to  their  condition.  Many  became  so  worn  out 
by  fatigue  and  privation  that  they  could  not 
proceed,  and  were  left  by  the  road  sides  to  fall' 
into  the  hands  of  the  enemy,  or  to  perish  of 
want  and  exhaustion  ;  while  those  who  still  had 
strength  enough  remaining  pressed  despairingly 
onward,  but  little  less  to  be  pitied  than  those 
who  were  left  behind. 

When  at  length  the  expedition  drew  near  to 
the  Turkish  borders,  the  kingr  sent  forward  a 

7  O 


1709.]  The  Battle   of  Pultowa.  253 

Deputation  sent  to  the  Turkish  frontier.        Reception  of  the  messenger. 

messenger  to  the  pasha  in  command  on  the 
frontier,  asking  permission  for  himself  and  his 
men  to  pass  through  the  Turkish  territory  on 
his  way  to  his  own  dominions.  He  had  every 
reason  to  suppose  that  the  pasha  would  grant 
this  request,  for  the  Turks  and  Eussians  had 
long  been  enemies,  and  he  knew  very  well  that 
the  sympathies  of  the  Turks  had  been  entirely 
on  his  side  in  this  war. 

-  Nor  was  he  disappointed  in  his  expectations. 
The  pasha  received  the  messenger  very  kindly, 
offered  him  food,  and  supplied  all  his  wants. 
He  said,  moreover,  that  he  would  not  only  give 
the  king  leave  to  enter  and  pass  through  the 
Turkish  territories,  but  he  would  give  him  ef- 
ficient assistance  in  crossing  the  river  which 
formed  the  frontier.  This  was,  indeed,  neces- 
sary, for  a  large  detachment  of  the  Eussian 
army  which  had  been  sent  in  pursuit  of  the 
Swedes  was  now  coming  close  upon  them,  and 
there  was  danger  of  their  being  overtaken  and 
cut  to  pieces  or  taken  prisoners  before  they 
should  have  time  to  cross  the  stream.  The 
principal  object  which  the  Czar  had  in  view  in 
sending  a  detachment  in  pursuit  of  the  fugitives 
was  the  hope  of  capturing  the  king  himself. 
He  spoke  of  this  his  design  to  the  Swedish  offi- 
cers who  were  already  his  prisoners,  saying  to 


254  Peter  the  Great.         [1709. 

Boats  collected.  Crossing  the  river. 

them  jocosely,  for  he  was  in  excellent  humor 
with  every  body  after  the  battle,  "  I  have  a  great 
desire  to  see. my  brother  the  king,  and  to  enjoy 
his  society ;  so  I  have  sent  to  bring  him.  You 
will  see  him  here  in  a  few  days." 

The  force  dispatched  for  this  purpose  had 
been  gradually  gaining  upon  the  fugitives,  and 
was  now  very  near,  and  the  pasha,  on  learning 
the  facts,  perceived  that  the  exigency  was  very 
urgent  He  accordingly  sent  off  at  once  up  and 
down  the  river  to  order  all  the  boats  that  could 
be  found  to  repair  immediately  to  the  spot 
where  the  King  of  Sweden  wished  to  cross.  A 
considerable  number  of  boats  were  soon  col- 
lected, and  the  passage  was  immediately  com- 
menced. The  king  and  his  guards  were  brought 
over  safely,  and  also  a  large  number  of  the  of- 
ficers and  men.  But  the  boats  were,  after  all,  so 
few  that  the  operation  proceeded  slowly,  and 
the  Eussians,  who  had  been  pressing  on  with 
all  speed,  arrived  at  the  banks  of  the  river  in 
time  to  interrupt  it  before  all  the  troops  had 
passed,  and  thus  about  five  hundred  men  fell 
into  their  hands.  They  were  all  made  prison- 
ers, and  the  king  had  the  mortification  of  wit- 
nessing the  spectacle  of  their  capture  from  the 
opposite  bank,  which  he  had  himself  reached  in 
safety. 


1709.]  The  Battle  of  Pultowa.  255 

Ucniler.  Fate  of  the  Swedish  army. 

The  king  was  immediately  afterward  con- 
veyed to  Bender,  a  considerable  town  not  far 
from  the  frontier,  where,  for  the  present,  he  was 
safe,  and  where  he  remained  quiet  for  some 
weeks,  in  order  that  his  wound  might  have  op- 
portunity to  heal.  Peter  was  obliged  to  con- 
tent himself  with  postponing  for  a  time  the 
pleasure  which  he  expected  to  derive  from  the 
enjoyment  of  his  brother's  society. 

The  portion  of  the  Swedish  army  which  re- 
mained in  Eussia  was  soon  after  this  surround- 
ed by  so  large  a  Eussian  force  that  the  general 
in  command  was  forced  to  capitulate,  and  all 
the  troops  were  surrendered  as  prisoners  of  war. 
Thus,  in  all,  a  great  number  of  prisoners,  both 
of  officers  and  men,  fell  into  Peter's  hands.  The 
men  were  sent  to  various  parts  of  the  empire, 
and  distributed  among  the  people,  in  order  that 
they  might  settle  permanently  in  the  country, 
and  devote  themselves  to  the  trades  or  occupa- 
tions to  which  they  had  been  trained  in  their 
native  land.  The  officers  were  treated  with 
great  kindness  and  consideration.  Peter  often 
invited  them  to  his  table,  and  conversed  with 
them  in  a  very  free  and  friendly  manner  in  re- 
spect to  the  usages  and  customs  which  prevail- 
ed in  their  own  country,  especially  those  which 
related  to  the  military  art.      Still,  they  were 


256  Peter  the  Great.         [1709. 

The  prisoners.  Anecdote  of  the  Czar. 

deprived  of  their  swords  and  kept  close  pris- 
oners. 

One  day,  when  some  of  these  officers  were 
dining  with  Peter  in  his  tent,  and  he  had  been 
for  some  time  conversing  with  them  about  the 
organization  and  discipline  of  the  Swedish  army, 
and  had  expressed  great  admiration  for  the  mil- 
itary talent  and  skill  which  they  had  displayed 
in  the  campaigns  which  they  had  fought,  he  at 
last  poured  out  some  wine  and  drank  to  the 
health  of  "  his  masters  in  the  art  of  war."  One 
of  the  officers  who  was  present  asked  who  they 
were  that  his  majesty  was  pleased  to  honor  with 
so  great  a  title. 

"It  is  yourselves,  gentlemen,"  replied  the 
Czar;  "the  Swedish  generals.  It  is  you  who 
have  been  my  best  instructors  in  the  art  of  war." 

"  Then,"  replied  the  officer,  "  is  not  your  maj- 
esty a  little  ungrateful  to  treat  the  masters  to 
whom  you  owe  so  much  so  severely?" 

Peter  was  so  much  pleased  with  the  read- 
iness and  wit  of  this  reply,  that  he  ordered  the 
swords  of  the  officers  all  to  be  restored  to  them. 
It  is  sard  that  he  even  unbuckled  his  own 
sword  from  his  side  and  presented  it  to  one  of 
the  generals. 

It  ought,  perhaps,  to  be  added,  however,  that 
the  habit  of  drinking  to  excess,  which  Peter 


1709.]  The  Battle  of  Pultowa.  257 

The  Czar's  habits.  Disposition  of  the  prisonera. 

seems  to  have  formed  early  in  life,  had  before 
this  time  become  quite  confirmed,  and  he  often 
became  completely  intoxicated  at  his  convivial 
entertainments,  so  that  it  is  not  improbable 
that  the  sudden  generosity  of  the  <#zar  on  this 
occasion  may  have  been  due,  in  a  considerable 
degree,  to  the  excitement  produced  by  the 
brandy  which  he  had  been  drinking. 

Although  the  swords  of  the  officers  were  thus 
restored  to  them,  they  were  themselves  still 
held  as  prisoners  until  arrangements  could  be 
made  for  exchanging  them.  In  order,  however, 
that  they  might  all  be  properly  provided  for, 
he  distributed  them  around  among  his  own  gen- 
erals, giving  to  each  Eussian  officer  the  charge 
of  a  Swedish  officer  of  his  own  rank,  granting, 
of  course,  to  each  one  a  proper  allowance  for 
the  maintenance  and  support  of  his  charge. 
The  Russian  generals  were  severally  respons- 
ible for  the  safe-keeping  of  their  prisoners ;  but 
the  surveillance  in  such  cases  is  never  strict, 
for  it  is  customary  for  the  prisoners  to  give 
their  parole  of  honor  that  they  will  not  attempt 
to  escape,  and  then  they  are  allowed,  within 
reasonable  limits,  their  full  personal  liberty,  so 
that  they  live  more  like  the  guests  and  com- 
panions of  their  keepers  than  as  their  captives. 

The  King  of  Sweden  met  with  many  remark- 
R 


258  Peter  the  Great.         [1709. 

Adventures  of  the  King  of  Sweden.  Military  promotion  of  the  Czar. 

able  adventures  and  encountered  very  serious 
difficulties  before  he  reached  his  own  kingdom, 
but  it  would  be  foreign  to  the  subject  of  this 
history  to  relate  them  here.  As  to  Mazeppa, 
he  made  hk  escape  too,  with  the  King  of  Swe- 
den, across  the  frontier.  The  Czar  offered  a 
very  large  reward  to  whoever  should  bring  him 
back,  either  dead  or  alive ;  but  he  never  was 
taken.  He  died  afterward  at  Constantinople  at 
a  great  age. 

One  of  the  most  curious  and  characteristic 
results  which  followed  from  the  battle  of  Pul- 
towa  was  the  promotion  of  Peter  in  respect  to 
his  rank  in  the  army.  It  was  gravely  decided 
by  the  proper  authorities,  after  due  deliberation, 
that  in  consequence  of  the  vigor  and  bravery 
which  he  had  displayed  on  the  field,  and  of  the 
danger  which  he  had  incurred  in  having  had  a 
shot  through  his  hat,  he  deserved  to  be  advanced 
a  grade  in  the  line  of  promotion.  So  he  was 
made  a  major  general. 

Thus  ended  the  great  Swedish  invasion  of 
Russia,  which  was  the  occasion  of  the  greatest 
and,  indeed,  of  almost  the  only  serious  danger, 
from  any  foreign  source,  which  threatened  the 
dominions  of  Peter  during  the  whole  course  of 
his  reign. 


1709.]  The  Empress  Catharine.   259 

Duration  of  the  war  •with  Sweden.  Catharine. 


Chapter   XI V. 
The  Empress  Catharine. 

IT  was  about  the  year  1690  that  Peter  the 
Great  commenced  his  reign,  and  he  died  in 
1725,  as  will  appear  more  fully  in  the  sequel 
of  this  volume.  Thus  the  duration  of  the  reign 
was  thirty-five  years.  The  wars  between  Kus- 
sia  and  Sweden  occupied  principally  the  early 
part  of  the  reign  through  a  period  of  many 
years.  The  battle  of  Pultowa,  by  which  the 
Swedish  invasion  of  the  Eussian  territories  was 
repelled,  was  fought  in  1709,  nearly  twenty 
years  after  the  Czar  ascended  the  throne. 

During  the  period  while  the  Czar  was  thus 
occupied  in  his  mortal  struggle  with  the  King 
of  Sweden,  there  appeared  upon  the  stage,  in 
connection  with  him,  a  lady,  who  afterward  be- 
came one  of  the  most  celebrated  personages  of 
history.  This  lady  was  the  Empress  Catharine. 
The  character  of  this  lady,  the  wonderful  and 
romantic  incidents  of  her  life,  and  the  great 
fame  of  her  exploits,  have  made  her  one  of  the 
most  celebrated  personages   of  history.     We 


260  Peter  the  Great.        [1709. 

Her  origin.  Destitution.  Her  kind  teacher.  Dr.  Gluck. 

can,  however,  here  only  give  a  brief  account  of 
that  portion  of  her  life  which  was  connected 
with  the  history  of  Peter. 

Catharine  was  born  in  a  little  village  near  the 
town  of  Marienburg,  in  Livonia.*  Her  parents 
were  in  very  humble  circumstances,  and  they 
both  died  when  she  was  a  little  child,  leaving 
her  in  a  very  destitute  and  friendless  condition. 
The  parish  clerk,  who  was  the  teacher  of  a  lit- 
tle school  in  which  perhaps  she  had  been  a  pu- 
pil— for  she  was  then  four  or  five  years  old — , 
felt  compassion  for  her,  and  took  her  home  with 
him  to  his  own  house.  He  was  the  more  dis- 
posed to  do  this  as  Catharine  was  a  bright  child, 
full  of  life  and  activity,  and,  at  the  same  time, 
amiable  and  docile  in  disposition,  so  that  she 
was  easily  governed. 

After  Catharine  had  been  some  time  at  the 
house  of  the  clerk,  a  certain  Dr.  Gluck,  who  was 
the  minister  of  Marienburg,  happening  to  be  on 
a  visit  to  the  clerk,  saw  her  and  heard  her  story. 
The  minister  was  very  much  pleased  with  the 
appearance  and  manners  of  the  child,  and  he 
proposed  that  the  clerk  should  give  her  up  to 
him.  This  the  clerk  was  willing  to  do,  as  his 
income  was  very  small,  and  the  addition  even 

*  The  situation  of  the  place  is  shown  in  the  map  on  page 
197. 


1709.]  The  Empress  Catharine.   261 

She  goes  to  Marienburg.  Her  character. 

of  such  a  child  to  his  family  of  course  some- 
what increased  his  expenses.  Besides,  he  knew 
that  it  would  be  much  more  advantageous  for 
Catharine,  for  the  time  being,  and  also  much 
more  conducive  to  her  future  success  in  life,  to 
be  brought  up  in  the  minister's  family  at  Ma- 
rienburg  than  in  his  own  humble  home  in  the 
little  village.  So  Catharine  went  to  live  with 
the  minister.* 

Here  she  soon  made  herself  a  great  favorite. 
She  was  very  intelligent  and  active,  and  very 
ambitious  to  learn  whatever  the  minister's  wife 
was  willing  to  teach  her.  She  also  took  great 
interest  in  making  herself  useful  in  every  pos- 
sible way,  and  displayed  in  her  household  av- 
ocations, and  in  all  her  other  duties,  a  sort  of 
womanly  energy  which  was  quite  remarkable 

*  The  accounts  which  different  historians  give  of  the  cir- 
cumstances of  Catharine's  early  history  vary  very  material- 
ly. One  authority  states  that  the  occasion  of  Gluck's  tak- 
ing Catharine  away  was  the  death  of  the  curate  and  of  all 
his  family  by  the  plague.  Gluck  came,  it  is  said,  to  the 
house  to  see  the  family,  and  found  them  all  dead.  The 
bodies  were  lying  on  the  floor,  and  little  Catharine  was  run- 
ning about  among  them,  calling  upon  one  after  another  to 
give  her  some  bread.  After  Gluck  came  in,  and  while  he 
was  looking  at  the  bodies  in  consternation,  she  came  up  be- 
hind him  and  pulled  his  robe,  and  asked  him  if  he  would 
not  give  her  some  bread.  So  he  took  her  with  him  to  his 
own  home- 


262  Peter  the   Great.         [1709. 

Mode  of  life  at  Marienburg.        Her  lover.        His  person  and  character. 

in  one  of  her  years.  She  learned  to  knit,  to 
spin,  and  to  sew,  and  she  assisted  the  minister's 
wife  very  much  in  these  and  similar  occupa- 
tions. She  had  learned  to  read  in  her  native 
tongue  at  the  clerk's  school,  but  now  she  con- 
ceived the  idea  of  learning  the  German  lan- 
guage. She  devoted  herself  to  this  task  with 
great  assiduity  and  success,  and  as  soon  as  she 
had  made  such  progress  as  to  be  able  to  read  in 
that  language,  she  spent  all  her  leisure  time  in 
perusing  the  German  books  which  she  found  in 
the  minister's  library. 

Years  passed  away,  and  Catharine  grew  up 
to  be  a  young  woman,  and  then  a  certain  young 
man,  a  subaltern  officer  in  the  Swedish  army— 
for  this  was  at  the  time  when  Livonia  was  in. 
possession  of  the  Swedes — fell  in  love  with  her. 
The  story  was,  that  Catharine  one  day,  in  some 
way  or  other,  fell  into  the  hands  of  two  Swed- 
ish soldiers,  by  whom  she  would  probably  have 
been  greatly  maltreated ;  but  the  officer,  coming 
by  at  that  time,  rescued  her  and  sent  her  safe 
to  Dr.  Gluck.  The  officer  had  lost  one  of  his 
arms  in  some  battle,  and  was  covered  with  the 
scars  of  other  wounds  ;  but  he  was  a  very  gen- 
erous and  brave  man,  and  was  highly  regarded 
by  all  who  knew  him.  When  he  offered  Cath- 
arine his  hand,  she  was  strongly  induced  by 


1709.]  The  Empress  Catharine.   263 

Catharine  is  married.      The  town  captured.      Catharine  made  prisoner. 

her  gratitude  to  him  to  accept  it,  but  she  said 
she  must  ask  the  minister's  approval  of  his  pro- 
posal, for  he  had  been  a  father  to  her,  she  said, 
and  she  would  take  no  important  step  without 
his  consent. 

The  minister,  after  suitable  inquiry  respect- 
ing the  officer's  character  and  prospects,  readily 
gave  his  consent,  and  so  it  was  settled  that  Cath- 
arine should  be  married. 

Now  it  happened  that  these  occurrences  took 
place  not  very  long  after  the  war  broke  out  be- 
tween Sweden  and  Kussia,  and  almost  imme- 
diately after  Catharine's  marriage — some  writ- 
ers say  on  the  very  same  day  of  the  wedding, 
and  others  on  the  day  following — a  Eussian 
army  came  suddenly  up  to  Marienburg,  took 
possession  of  the  town,  and  made  a  great  many 
of  the  inhabitants  prisoners.  Catharine  her- 
self was  among  the  prisoners  thus  taken.  The 
story  was,  that  in  the  confusion  and  alarm  she 
hid  herself  with  others  in  an  oven,  and  was 
found  by  the  Eussian  soldiers  there,  and  carried 
off  as  a  valuable  prize. 

What  became  of  the  bridegroom  is  not  cer- 
tainly known.  He  was  doubtless  called  sud- 
denly to  his  post  when  the  alarm  was  given  of 
the  enemy's  approach,  and  a  great  many  differ- 
ent stories  were  told  in  respect  to  what  after- 


264  Peter  the  Great.         [1709. 

Her  anxiety  and  sorrow.  The  Russian  general, 

ward  befell  him.  One  thing  is  certain,  and  that 
is,  that  his  young  bride  never  saw  him  again.* 

Catharine,  when  she  found  herself  separated 
from  her  husband  and  shut  up  a  helpless  pris- 
oner with  a  crowd  of  other  wretched  and  de- 
spairing captives,  was  "overwhelmed  with  grief 
at  the  sad  reverse  of  fortune  that  had  befallen 
her.  She  had  good  reason  not  only  to  mourn 
for  the  happiness  which  she  had  lost,  but  also 
to  experience  very  anxious  and  gloomy  fore- 
bodings in  respect  to  what  was  before  her,  for 
the  main  object  of  the  Russians  in  making  pris- 
oners of  the  young  and  beautiful  women  which 
they  found  in  the  towns  that  they  conquered, 
was  to  send  them  to  Turkey,  and  to  sell  them 
there  as  slaves. 

Catharine  was,  however,  destined  to  escape 
this  dreadful  fate.  One  of  the  Eussian  gener- 
als, in  looking  over  the  prisoners,  was  struck 
with  her  appearance,  and  with  the  singular  ex- 
pression of  grief  and  despair  which  her  coun- 
tenance displayed.  He  called  her  to  him  and 
asked  her  some  questions;  and  he  was  more 
impressed  by  the  intelligence  and  good  sense 

*  There  was  a  story  that  he  was  taken  among  the  pris- 
oners at  the  battle  of  Pultowa,  and  that,  on  making  him- 
self known,  he  was  immediately  put  in  irons  and  sent  off  in 
exile  to  Siberia. 


1709.]  The  Empress   Catharine.   265 

Catharine  saved.  Catharine  in  the  general's  service. 

which  her  answers  evinced  than  he  had  been 
bj  the  beauty  of  her  countenance.  He  bid  her 
quiet  her  fears,  promising  that  he  would  him- 
self take  care  of  her.  He  immediately  ordered 
some  trusty  men  to  take  her  to  his  tent,  where 
there  were  some  women  who  would  take  charge 
of  and  protect  her. 

These  women  were  employed  in  various  do-' 
mestic  occupations  in  the  service  of  the  general. 
Catharine  began  at  once  to  interest  herself  in 
these  employments,  and  to  do  all  in  her  power 
to  assist  in  them ;  and  at  length,  as  one  of  the 
writers  who  gives  an  account  of  these  transac- 
tions goes  on  to  say,  "  the  general,  finding  Cath- 
arine very  proper  to  manage  his  household  af- 
fairs, gave  her  a  sort  of  authority  and  inspec- 
tion over  these  women  and  over  the  rest  of  the 
domestics,  by  whom  she  soon  came  to  be  very 
much  beloved  by  her  manner  of  using  them 
when  she  instructed  them  in  their  duty.  The 
general  said  himself  that  he  never  had  been  so 
well  served  as  since  Catharine  had  been  with 
him. 

"  It  happened  one  day  that  Prince  Menzikoff, 
who  was  the  general's  commanding  officer  and 
patron,  saw  Catharine,  and,  observing  something- 
very  extraordinary  in  her  air  and  behavior, 
asked  the  general  who  she  was  and  in  what  con- 


266  Peter  the   Great.         [1709. 

Seen  by  Menzikoff.  Transferred  to  his  service. 

dition  she  served  him.  The  general  related  to 
him  her  story,  taking  care,  at  the  same  time,  to 
do  j  ustice  to  the  merit  of  Catharine.  The  prince 
said  that  he  was  himself  very  ill  served,  and 
had  occasion  for  just  such  a  person  about  him. 
The  general  replied  that  he  was  under  too  great 
obligations  to  his  highness  the  prince  to  refuse 
"him  any  thing  that  he  asked.  He  immediately 
called  Catharine  into  his  presence,  and  told  her 
that  that  was  Prince  Menzikoff,  and  that  he  had 
occasion  for  a  servant  like  herself,  and  that  he 
was  able  to  be  a  much  better  friend  to  her  than 
he  himself  could  be,  and  that  he  had  too.  much 
kindness  for  her  to  prevent  her  receiving  such 
a  piece  of  honor  and  good  fortune. 

"  Catharine  answered  only  with  a  profound 
courtesy,  which  showed,  if  not  her  consent  to  the 
change  proposed,  at  least  her  conviction  that  it 
was  not  then  in  her  power  to  refuse  the  offer 
that  was  made  to  her.  In  short,  Prince  Menzi- 
koff took  her  with  him,  or  she  went  to  him  the 
same  day." 

Catharine  remained  in  the  service  of  the 
prince  for  a  year  or  two,  and  was  then  trans- 
ferred from  the  household  of  the  prince  to  that 
of  the  Czar  almost  precisely  in  the  same  way  in 
which  she  had  been  resigned  to  the  prince  by 
the  general.     The  Czar  saw  her  one  day  while 


1711.]  The  Empress  Catharine.   267 

Transferred  to  the  Czar.        Privately  married.       Affairs  on  the  Pruth. 

he  was  at  dinner  with  the  prince,  and  he  was 
so  much  pleased  with  her  appearance,  and  with 
the  account  which  the  prince  gave  him  of  her 
character  and  history,  that  he  wished  to  have 
her  himself;  and,  however  reluctant  the  prince 
may  have  been  to  lose  her,  he  knew  very  well 
that  there  was  no  alternative  for  him  but  to 
give  his  consent.  So  Catharine  was  transferred 
to  the  household  of  the  Czar. 

She  soon  acquired  a  great  ascendency  over 
the  Czar,  and  in  process  of  time  she  was  pri- 
vately married  to  him.  This  private  marriage- 
took  place  in  1707.  For  several  years  after- 
ward the  marriage  was  not  publicly  acknowl- 
edged; but  still  Catharine's  position  was  well 
understood,  and  her  power  at  court,  as  well  as 
her  personal  influence  over  her  husband,  in- 
creased continually. 

Catharine  sometimes  accompanied  the  em- 
peror in  his  military  campaigns,  and  at  one- 
time was  the  means,  it  is  thought,  of  saving  him 
from  very  imminent  danger.  It  was  in  the 
year  1711.  The  Czar  was  at  that  time  at  war 
with  the  Turks,  and  he  had  advanced  into  the 
Turkish  territory  with  a  small,  but  very  com- 
pact and  well-organized  army.  The  Turks  sent 
out  a  large  force  to  meet  him,  and  at  length, 
after  various  marchings  and  manceuvrings,  the 


268  Peter  the  Great.         [1711. 

The  emperor's  danger.  Catharine  in  camp.  A  bribe. 

Czar  found  himself  surrounded  by  a  Turkish 
force  three  times  as  large  as  his  own.  The 
Russians  fortified  their  camp,  and  the  Turks 
attacked  them.  The  latter  attempted  for  two 
or  three  successive  days  to  force  the  Russian 
lines,  but  without  success,  and  at  length  the 
grand  vizier,  who  was  in  command  of  the 
Turkish  troops,  finding  that  he  could  not  force 
his  enemy  to  quit  their  intrenchments,  determ- 
ined to  starve  them  out;  so  he  invested  the 
place  closely  on  all  sides.  The  Czar  now  gave 
himself  up  for  lost,  for  he  had  only  a  very  small 
stock  of  provisions,  and  there  seemed  no  possi- 
ble way  of  escape  from  the  snare  in  which  he 
found  himself  involved.  Catharine  was  with 
her  husband  in  the  camp  at  this  time,  having 
had  the  courage  to  accompany  him  in  the  ex- 
pedition, notwithstanding  its  extremely  danger- 
ous character,  and  the  story  is  that  she  was  the 
means  of  extricating  him  from  his  hazardous 
position  by  dextrously  bribing  the  vizier. 

The  way  in  which  she  managed  the  affair 
was  this.  She  arranged  it  with  the  emperor 
that  he  was  to  propose  terms  of  peace  to  the 
vizier,  by  which,  on  certain  conditions,  he  was 
to  be  allowed  to  retire  with  his  army.  Cath- 
arine then  secretly  made  up  a  very  valuable 
present  for  the  vizier,  consisting  of  jewels,  cost- 


1712.]  The  Empress  Catharine.  269 

Catharine  save3  her  husband.  The  vizier's  excuses. 

ly  decorations,  and  other  such  valuables  belong- 
ing to  herself,  which,  as  was  customary  in  those 
times,  she  had  brought  with  her  on  the  expe- 
dition, and  also  a  large  sum  of  money.  This 
present,  she  contrived  to  send  to  the  vizier  at 
the  same  time  with  the  proposals  of  peace  made 
by  the  emperor.  The  vizier  was  extremely 
pleased  with  the  present,  and  he  at  once  agreed 
to  the  conditions  of  peace,  and  thus  the  Czar 
and  all  his  army  escaped  the  destruction  which 
threatened  them. 

The  vizier  was  afterward  called  to  account 
for  having  thus  let  off  his  enemies  so  easily 
when  he  had  them  so  completely  in  his  power ; 
but  he  defended  himself  as  well  as  he  could  by 
saying  that  the  terms  on  which  he  had  made 
the  treaty  were  as  good  as  could  be  obtained 
in  any  way,  adding,  hypocritically,  that  "  God 
commands  us  .to  pardon  our  enemies  when 
they  ask  us  to  do  so,  and  humble  themselves 
before  us." 

In  the  mean  time,  years  passed  away,  and  the 
emperor  and  Catharine  lived  very  happily  to- 
gether, though  the  connection  which  subsisted 
between  them,  while  it  was  universally  known, 
was  not  openly  or  publicly  recognized.  Ir 
process  of  time  they  had  two  or  three  children, 
and  this,  together  with  the  unassuming  but  yet 


270  Peter  the   Great.         [1712. 

A  public  marriage  determined  on.  Arrangements. 

faithful  and  efficient  manner  in  which  Catharine 
devoted  herself  to  her  duties  as  wife  and  mother, 
strengthened  the  bond  which  bound  her  to  the 
Czar,  and  at  length,  in  the  year  1712,  Peter  de- 
termined to  place  her  before  the  world  in  the 
position  to  which  he  had  already  privately  and 
unofficially  raised  her,  by  a  new  and  public 
marriage. 

It  was  not  pretended,  however,  that  the  Czar 
was  to  be  married  to  Catharine  now  for  the 
first  time,  but  the  celebration  was  to  be  in  hon- 
or of  the  nuptials  long  before  performed.  Ac- 
cordingly, in  the  invitations  that  were  sent  out, 
the  expression  used  to  denote  the  occasion  on 
which  the  company  was  to  be  convened  was 
"to  celebrate  his  majesty's  old  wedding."  The 
place  where  the  ceremony  was  to  be  performed 
was  St.  Petersburg,  for  this  was  now  many  years 
after  St.  Petersburg  had  been  built. 

Yery  curious  arrangements  were  made  for 
the  performance  of  this  extraordinary  ceremony. 
The  Czar  appeared  in  the  dress  and  character 
of  an  admiral  of  the  fleet,  and  the  other  officers 
of  the  fleet,  instead  of  the  ministers  of  state  and 
great  nobility,  were  made  most  prominent  on 
the  occasion,  and  were  appointed  to  the  most 
honorable  posts.  This  arrangement  was  made 
partly,  no  doubt,  for  the  purpose  of  doing  honor 


THE  EMTRESS  CATHARINE. 


1712.]  The  Empress  Catharine.  273 

The  little  bridemaids.  Wedding  ceremonies. 

to  the  navy,  which  the  Czar  was  now  forming, 
and  increasing  the  consideration  of  those  who 
were  connected  with  it  in  the  eyes  of  the  coun- 
try. As  Catharine  had  no  parents  living,  it 
was  necessary  to  appoint  persons  to  act  in  their 
stead  "to  give  away  the  bride."  It  was  to  the 
vice  admiral  and  the  rear  admiral  of  the  fleet 
that  the  honor  of  acting  in  this  capacity  was 
assigned.  They  represented  the  bride's  father, 
while  Peter's  mother,  the  empress  dowager,  and 
the  lady  of  the  vice  admiral  of  the  fleet  repre- 
sented her  mother. 

Two  of  Catharine's  own  daughters  were  ap- 
pointed bridemaids.  Their  appointment  was, 
however,  not  much  more  than  an  honorary  one, 
for  the  children  were  very  young,  one  of  them 
being  five  and  the  other  only  three  years  old. 
They  appeared  for  a  little  time  pending  the  cer- 
emony, and  then,  becoming  tired,  they  were 
taken  away,  and  their  places  supplied  by  two 
young  ladies  of  the  court,  nieces  of  the  Czar. 

The  wedding  ceremony  itself  was  performed 
at  seven  o'clock  in  the  morning,  in  a  little  chap- 
el belonging  to  Prince  Menzikoff,  and  before  a 
small  company,  no  person  being  present  at  that 
time  except  those  who  had  some  official  part  to 
perform.  The  great  wedding  party  had  been 
invited  to  meet  at  the  Czar's  palace  later  in  the 
S 


274  Peter  the  Great.        [1715. 

Festivities  and  rejoicings.  Birth  of  Catharine's  son. 

day.  After  the  ceremony  had  been  performed 
in  the  chapel,  the  emperor  and  empress  went 
from  the  chapel  into  Menzikoff's  ■  palace,  and 
remained  there  until  the  time  arrived  to  repair 
to  the  palace  of  the  Czar.  Then  a  grand  pro- 
cession was  formed,  and  the  married  pair  were 
conducted  through  the  streets  to  their  own  pal- 
ace with  great  parade.  As  it  was  winter,  the 
bridal  party  were  conveyed  in  sleighs  instead 
of  carriages.  These  sleighs,  or  sledges  as  they 
were  called,  were  very  elegantly  decorated,  and 
were  drawn  by  six  horses  each.  The  proces- 
sion was  accompanied  by  a  band  of  music,  con- 
sisting of  trumpets,  kettle-drums,  and  other 
martial  instruments.  The  entertainment  at  the 
palace  was  very  splendid,  and  the  festivities 
were  concluded  in  the  evening  by  a  ball.  The 
whole  city,  too,  was  lighted  up  that  night  with 
bonfires  and  illuminations. 

Three  years  after  this  public  solemnization 
of  the  marriage  the  empress  gave  birth  to  a 
son.  Peter  was  perfectly  overjoyed  at  this 
event.  It  is  true  that  he  had  one  son  already, 
who  was  born  of  his  first  wife,  who  was  called 
the  Czarewitz,  and  whose  character  and  melan- 
choly history  will  be  the  subject  of  the  next 
chapter.  But  this  was  the  first  son  among  the 
children   of  Catharine.      She   had  had    only 


1715.]  The  Empress  Catharine.  275 

Importance  of  the  event.  The  baptism.  Dwarfs  in  the  pies. 

daughters  before.  It  was  in  the  very  crisis  of 
the  difficulties  which  the  Czar  had  with  his  eld- 
est son,  and  when  he  was  on  the  point  of  final- 
ly abandoning  all  hope  of  ever  reclaiming  him 
from  his  vices  and  making  him  a  fit  inheritor 
of  the  crown,  that  this  child  of  Catharine's  was 
born.  These  circumstances,  which  will  be  ex- 
plained more  fully  in  the  next  chapter,  gave 
great  political  importance  to  the  birth  of  Cath- 
arine's son,  and  Peter  caused  the  event  to  be 
celebrated  with  great  public  rejoicings.  The 
rejoicings  were  continued  for  eight  days,  and  at 
the  baptism  of  the  babe,  two  kings,  those  of 
Denmark  and  of  Prussia,  acted  as  godfathers. 
The  name  given  to  the  child  was  Peter  Petro- 
witz. 

The  baptism  was  celebrated  with  the  greatest 
pomp,  and  it  was  attended  with  banquetings 
and  rejoicings  of  the  most  extraordinary  char- 
acter. Among  other  curious  contrivances  were 
two  enormous  pies,  one  served  in  the  room  of 
the  gentlemen  and  the  other  in  that  of  the  la- 
dies ;  for,  according  to  the  ancient  Kussian  cus- 
tom on  such  occasions,  the  sexes  were  separated 
at  the  entertainments,  tables  being  spread'  for 
the  ladies  and  for  the  gentlemen  in  different 
halls.  From  the  ladies'  pie  there  stepped  out, 
when  it  was  opened,  a  young  dwarf,  very  small, 


276  Peter  the  Great.         [1715. 

Influence  of  Catharine  over  her  husband. 

and  clothed  in  a  very  slight  and  very  fantastic 
manner.  The  dwarf  brought  out  with  him  from 
the  pie  some  wine-glasses  and  a  bottle  of  wine. 
Taking  these  in  his  hand,  he  walked  around  the 
table  drinking  to  the  health  of  the  ladies,  who 
received  him  wherever  he  came  with  screams 
of  mingled  surprise  and  laughter.  It  was  the 
same  in  the  gentlemen's  apartment,  except  that 
the  dwarf  which  appeared  before  the  company 
there  was  a  female. 

The  birth  of  this  son  formed  a  new  and  very 
strong  bond  of  attachment  between  Peter  and 
Catharine,  and  it  increased  very  much  the  in- 
fluence which  she  had  previously  exerted  over 
him.  The  influence  which  she  thus  exercised 
was  very  great,  and  it  was  also,  in  the  main,  very 
salutary.  She  alone  could  approach  the  Czar 
in  the  fits  of  irritation  and  anger  into  which  he 
often  fell  when  any  thing  displeased  him,  and 
sometimes,  when  his  rage  and  fury  were  such 
that  no  one  else  would  have  dared  to  come 
near,  Catharine  knew  how  to  quiet  and  calm 
him,  and  gradually  bring  him  back  again  to 
reason.  She  had  great  power  over  him,  too,  in 
respect  to  the  nervous  affection — the  convuls- 
ive twitchings  of  the  head  and  face — to  which 
he  was  subject.  Indeed,  it  was  said  that  the 
soothing  and  mysterious  influence  of  her  gentle 


1715.]  The  Empress  Catharine.    277 

Use  which  she  made  of  her  power.  Peter's  jealousy. 

nursing  in  allaying  these  dreadful  spasms,  and 
relieving  the  royal  patient  from  the  distress 
which  they  occasioned,  gave  rise  to  the  first  feel- 
ing of  attachment  which  he  formed  for  her,  and 
which  led  him,  in  the  end,  to  make  her-  his  wife. 

Catharine  often  exerted  the  power  which  she 
acquired  over  her  husband  for  noble  ends.  A 
great  many  persons,  who  from  time  to  time  ex- 
cited the  displeasure  of  the  Czar,  were  rescued 
from  undeserved  death,  and  sometimes  from 
sufferings  still  more  terrible  than  death,  by  her 
interposition.  In  many  ways  she  softened  the 
asperities  of  Peter's  character,  and  lightened 
the  heavy  burden  of  his  imperial  despotism. 
Every  one  was  astonished  at  the  ascendency 
which  she  acquired  over  the  violent  and  cruel 
temper  of  her  husband,  and  equally  pleased 
with  the  good  use  which  she  made  of  her  power. 

There  was  not,  however,  always  perfect  peace 
between  Catharine  and  her  lord.  Catharine 
was  compelled  sometimes  to  endure  great  trials. 
On  one  occasion  the  Czar  took  it  into  his  head, 
with  or  without  cause,  to  feel  jealous.  The  ob- 
ject of  his  jealousy  was  a  certain  officer  of  his 
court  whose  name  was  De  la  Croix.  Peter  had 
no  certain  evidence,  it  would  seem,  to  justify  his 
suspicions,  for  he  said  nothing  openly  on  the 
subject,  but  he  at  once  caused  the  officer  to  be 


278  Peter  the  G-reat.        [1715. 

Dreadful  punishment.  Catharine's  usefulness  to  the  Czar. 

beheaded  on  some  other  pretext,  and  ordered 
his  head  to  be  set  up  on  a  pole  in  a  great  pub- 
lic square  in  Moscow.  He  then  took  Catharine 
out  into  the  square,  and  conveyed  her  to  and 
fro  in  all  directions  across  it,  in  order  that  she 
might  see  the  head  in  every  point  of  view. 
Catharine  understood  perfectly  well  what  it  all 
meant,  but,  though  thunderstruck  and  over- 
whelmed with  grief  and  horror  at  the  terrible 
spectacle,  she  succeeded  in  maintaining  a  per- 
fect self-control  through  the  whole  scene,  until, 
at  length,  she  was  released,  and  allowed  to  re- 
turn to  her  apartment,  when  she  burst  into 
tears,  and  for  a  long  time  could  not  be  comfort- 
ed or  calmed. 

With  the  exception  of  an  occasional  outbreak 
like  this,  the  Czar  evinced  a  very  strong  attach* 
ment  to  his  consort,  and  she  continued  to  live 
with  him  a  faithful  and  devoted  wife  for  nearly 
twenty  years ;  from  the  period  of  her  private 
marriage,  in  fact,  to  the  death  of  her  husband. 
During  all  this  time  she  was  continually  asso- 
ciated with  him  not  only  in  his  personal  and 
private,  but  also  in  his  public  avocations  and 
cares.  She  accompanied  him  on  his  journeys, 
she  aided  him  with  her  counsels  in  all  affairs 
of  state.  He  relied  a  great  deal  on  her  judg- 
ment in  all  questions  of  policy,  whether  in- 


1715.]   The  Empress  Catharine.  279 

Her  imperfect  education.  Her  final  exaltation  to  the  throne. 

ternal  or  external;  and  he  took  counsel  with 
her  in  all  matters  connected  with  his  negotia- 
tions with  foreign  states,  with  the  sending  and 
receiving  of  embassies,  the  making  of  treaties 
with  them,  and  even,  when  occasion  occurred, 
in  determining  the  question  of  peace  or  war. 

And  yet,  notwithstanding  the  lofty  qualities 
of  statesmanship  that  Catharine  thus  displayed 
in  the  counsel  and  aid  which  she  rendered  her 
husband,  the  education  which  she  had  received 
while  at  the  minister's  in  Marienburg  was  so 
imperfect  that  she  never  learned  to  write,  and 
whenever,  either  during  her  husband's  life  or 
after  his  death,  she  had  occasion  to  put  her  sig- 
nature to  letters  or  documents  of  any  kind,  she 
did  not  attempt  to  write  the  name  herself,  but 
always  employed  one  of  her  daughters  to  do  it 
for  her. 

At  length,  toward  the  close  of  his  reign,  Pe- 
ter, having  at  that  time  no  son  to  whom  he 
could  intrust  the  government  of  his  empire 
after  he  was  gone,  caused  Catharine  to  be  sol- 
emnly crowned  as  empress,  with  a  view  of 
making  her  his  successor  on  the  throne.  But 
before  describing  this  coronation  it  is  necessary 
first  to  give  an  account  of  the  circumstances 
which  led  to  it,  by  relating  the  melancholy  his- 
tory of  Alexis,  Peter's  oldest  son. 


280 

P 

ETEK 

THE 

G 

BEAT.            [1690. 

Birth  of  Alexis. 

llis  father's  hopes. 

Chapter  XV. 
The  Prince  Alexis. 

THE  reader  will  perhaps  recollect  that  Pe- 
ter had  a  son  by  his  first  wife,  an  account 
of  whose  birth  was  given  in  the  first  part  of  this 
volume.  The  name  of  this  son  was  Alexis,  and 
he  was  destined  to  become  the  hero  of  a  most 
dreadful  tragedy.  The  narrative  of  it  forms  a 
very  dark  and  melancholy  chapter  in  the  his- 
tory of  his  father's  reign. 

Alexis  was  born  in  the  year  1690.  In  the 
early  part  of  his  life  his  father  took  great  in- 
terest in  him,  and  made  him  the  centre  of  a 
great  many  ambitious  hopes  and  projects.  Of 
course,  he  expected  that  Alexis  would  be  his 
successor  on  the  imperial  throne,  and  he  took 
great  interest  in  qualifying  him  for  the  duties 
that  would  devolve  upon  him  in  that  exalted 
station.  While  he  was  a  child  his  father  was 
proud  of  him  as  his  son  and  heir,  and  as  he 
grew  up  he  hoped  that  he  would  inherit  his 
own  ambition  and  energy,  and  he  took  great 
pains  to  inspire  him  with  the  lofty  sentiments 
appropriate  to  his  position,  and  to  train  him  to 
a  knowledge  of  the  art  of  war. 


1710.]      The   Prince   Alexis.  281 

Advantages  enjoyed  l>y  Alexis  Marriage  proposed 


But  Alexis  had  no  taste  for  these  things,  ano\ 
his  father  could  not,  in  any  possible  way,  in- 
duce  him  to  take  any  interest  in  them  what' 
ever.  He  was  idle  and  spiritless,  and  nothing 
could  arouse  him  to  make  any  exertion.  He 
spent  his  time  in  indolence  and  in  vicious  in- 
dulgences. These  habits  had  the  effect  of*tm- 
dermining  his  health,  and  increasing  more  and 
more  his  distaste  for  the  duties  which  his  father 
wished  him  to  perform. 

The  Czar  tried  every  possible  means  to  pro- 
duce a  change  in  the  character  of  his  son,  and 
to  awaken  in  him  something  like  an  honorable 
ambition.  To  this  end  he  took  Alexis  with 
him  in  his  journeys  to  foreign  countries,  and 
introduced  him  to  the  reigning  princes  of  east- 
ern Europe,  showed  him  their  capitals,  explain- 
ed to  him  the  various  military  systems  which 
were  adopted  by  the  different  powers,  and  made 
him  acquainted  with  the  principal  personages 
in  their  courts.  But  all  was  of  no  avail.  Alex- 
is could  not  be  aroused  to  take  an  interest  in 
any  thing  but  idle  indulgences  and  vice. 

At  length,  when  Alexis  was  about  twenty 
years  of  age,  that  is,  in  the  year  1710,  his  fa- 
ther conceived  the  idea  of  trying  the  effect  of 
marriage  upon  him.  So  he  directed  his  son  to 
make  choice  of  a  wife.     It  is  not  improbable 


282  Peter  the  Great.        [1710. 


Account  of  the  wedding. 


that  lie  himself  really  selected  the  lady.  At 
any  rate,  he  controlled  the  selection,  for  Alexis 
was  quite  indifferent  in  respect  to  the  affair, 
and  only  acceded  to  the  plan  in  obedience  to 
his  father's  commands. 

The  lady  chosen  for  the  bride  was  a  Polish 
prifccess,  named  Charlotta  Christina  Sophia, 
Princess  of  Wolfenbuttel,  and  a  marriage  con- 
tract, binding  the  parties  to  each  other,  was  ex- 
ecuted with  all  due  formality. 

Two  years  after  this  marriage  contract  was 
formed  the  marriage  was  celebrated.  Alexis 
was  then  about  twenty-two  years  of  age,  and 
the  princess  eighteen.  The  wedding,  however, 
was  by  no  means  a  joyful  one.  Alexis  had 
not  improved  in  character  since  he  had  been 
betrothed,  and  his  father  continued  to  be  very 
much  displeased  with  him.  Peter  was  at  one 
time  so  angry  as  to  threaten  that,  if  his  son 
did  not  reform  his  evil  habits,  and  begin  to 
show  some  interest  in  the  performance  of  his 
duties,  he  would  have  his  head  shaved  and 
send  him  to  a  convent,  and  so  make  a  monk 
of  him. 

How  far  the  princess  herself  was  acquainted 
with  the  facts  in  respect  to  the  character  of  her 
husband  it  is  impossible  to  say,  but  every  body 
else  knew  them  very  well.     The  emperor  was 


1710.]      The    Pkince   Alexis.       .   283 

Alexis  returns  to  Russia.  Cruel  treatment  of  his  wife. 

in  very  bad  humor.  The  princess's  father  wish- 
ed to  arrange  for  a  magnificent  wedding,  but 
the  Czar  would  not  permit  it.  The  ceremony 
was  accordingly  performed  in  a  very  quiet  and 
unostentatious  way,  in  one  gf  the  provincial 
towns  of  Poland,  and  after  it  was  over  Alexis 
went  home  with  his  bride  to  her  paternal  do- 
mains. 

The  marriage  of  Alexis  to  the  Polish  prin- 
cess took  place  the  year  before  his  father's  pub- 
lic marriage  with  his  second  wife,  the  Empress 
Catharine. 

As  Peter  had  anticipated,  the  promises  of  re- 
form which  Alexis  had  made  on  the  occasion 
of  his  marriage  failed  totally  of  accomplish- 
ment. After  remaining  a  short  time  in  Poland 
with  his  wife,  conducting  himself  there  tolera- 
bly well,  he  set  out  on  his  return  to  Eussia, 
taking  his  wife  with  him.  But  no  sooner  had 
he  got  back  among  his  old  associates  than  he 
returned  to  his  evil  ways,  and  soon  began  to 
treat  his  wife  with  the  greatest  neglect  and  even 
cruelty.  He  provided  a  separate  suite  of  apart- 
ments for  her  in  one  end  of  the  palace,  while 
he  himself  occupied  the  other  end,  where  he 
could  be  at  liberty  to  do  what  he  pleased  with- 
out restraint.  Sometimes  a  week  would  elapse 
without  his  seeing  his  wife  at  all.     He  pur- 


284  Peter  the   Great.         [1715. 

Her  hardships  and  sufferings.  The  Czar's  displeasure. 

chased  a  small  slave,  named  Afrosinia,  and 
brought  her  into  his  part  of  the  palace,  and 
lived  with  her  there  in  the  most  shameless  man- 
ner, while  his  neglected  wife,  far  from  all  her 
friends,  alone,  and  almost  broken-hearted,  spent 
her  time  in  bitterly  lamenting  her  hard  fate, 
and  gradually  wearing  away  her  life  in  sorrow 
and  tears. 

She  was  not  even  properly  provided  with 
the  necessary  comforts  of  life.  Her  rooms  were 
neglected,  and  suffered  to  go  out  of  repair.  The 
roof  let  in  the  rain,  and  the  cold  wind  in  the 
winter  penetrated  through  the  ill-fitted  win- 
dows and  doors.  Alexis  paid  no  heed  to  these 
things ;  but,  leaving  his  wife  to  suffer,  spent  his 
time  in  drinking  and  carousing  with  Afrosinia 
and  his  other  companions  in  vice. 

During  all  this  time  the  attention  of  the  Czar 
was  so  much  engaged  with  the  affairs  of  the 
empire  that  he  could  not  interfere  efficiently. 
Sometimes  he  would  upbraid  Alexis  for  his 
undutiful  and  wicked  behavior,  and  threaten 
him  severely ;  but  the  only  effect  of  his  remon- 
strances would  be  to  cause  Alexis  to  go  into 
the  apartment  of  his  wife  as"  soon  as  his  father 
had  left  him,  and  assail  her  in  the  most  abusive 
manner,  overwhelming  her  with  rude  and  vio- 
lent reproaches  for  having,  as  he  said,  made 


1715.]      The  Prince  Alexis.  285 

Birth  of  a  son.  Cruel  neglect.  The  <Jz-ir  i  ent  for. 

complaints  to  his  father,  or  "  told  tales,"  as  he 
called  it,  and  so  having  occasioned  his  father 
to  find  fault  with  him.  This  the  princess  would 
deny.  She  would  solemnly  declare  that  she 
had  not  made  any  complaints  whatever.  Alex- 
is, however,  would  not  believe  her,  but  would 
repeat  his  denunciations,  and  then  go  away  in 
a  rage. 

This  state  of  things  continued  for  three  or 
four  years.  During  that  time  the  princess  had 
one  child,  a  daughter ;  and  at  length  the  time 
arrived  when  she  was  to  give  birth  to  a  son ; 
but  even  the  approach  of  such  a  time  of  trial 
did  not  awaken  any  feeling  of  kind  regard  or 
compassion  on  the  part  of  her  husband.  His 
neglect  still  continued.  No  suitable  arrange- 
ments were  made  for  the  princess,  and  she  re- 
ceived no  proper  attention  during  her  confine- 
ment. The  consequence  was,  that,  in  a  few  days 
after  the  birth  of  the  child,  fever  set  in,  and  the 
princess  sank  so  rapidly  under  it  that  her  life 
was  soon  despaired  of. 

When  she  found  that  she  was  about  to  die, 
she  asked  that  the  Czar  might  be  sent  for  to 
come  and  see  her.  Peter  was  sick  at  this  time, 
and  almost  confined  to  his  bed ;  but  still — let  it 
be  remembered  to  his  honor — he  would  not  re- 
fuse this  request.     A  bed,  or  litter,  was  placed 


286  Peter  the  Great.         [1715. 

Death-bed  scene.        Grief  of  the  attendants.        The  princess's  despair. 

for  Mm  on  a  sort  of  truck,  and  in  this  manner 
he  was  conveyed  to  the  palace  where  the  prin- 
cess was  lying.  She  thanked  him  very  earn- 
estly for  coming  to  see  her,  and  then  begged  to 
commit  her  children,  and  the  servants  who  had 
come  with  her  from  her  native  land,  and  who 
had  remained  faithful  to  her  through  all  her 
trials,  to  his  protection  and  care.  She  kissed 
her  children,  and  took  leave  of  them  in  the 
most  affecting  manner,  and  then  placed  them 
in  the  arms  of  the  Czar.  The  Czar  received 
them  very  kindly.  He  then  bade  the  mother 
farewell,  and  went  away,  taking  the  children 
with  him. 

All  this  time,  the  room  in  which  the  princess 
was  lying,  the  antechamber,  and  all  the  ap- 
proaches to  the  apartment,  were  filled  with  the 
servants  and  friends  of  the  princess,  who  mourn- 
ed her  unhappy  fate  so  deeply  that  they  were 
unable  to  control  their  grief.  They  kneeled  or 
lay  prostrate  on  the  ground,  and  offered  un- 
ceasing petitions  to  heaven  to  save  the  life  of 
their  mistress,  mingling  their  prayers  with  tears, 
and  sobs,  and  bitter  lamentations. 

The  physicians  endeavored  to  persuade  the 
princess  to  take  some  medicines  which  they  had 
brought,  but  she  threw  the  phials  away  behind 
the  bed,  begging  the  physicians  not  to  torment 


1715.]      The  Prince  Alexis.  287 

High  rank  no  guarantee  for  happiness.  Peter's  ultimatum. 

her  any  more,  but  to  let  her  die  in  peace,  as  she 
had  no  wish  to  live. 

She  lingered  after  this  a  few  days,  spending 
most  of  her  time  in  prayer,  and  then  died. 

At  the  time  of  her  death  the  princess  was  not 
much  over  twenty  years  of  age.  Her  sad  and 
sorrowful  fate  shows  us  once  more  what  unfor- 
tunately we  too  often  see  exemplified,  that 
something  besides  high  worldly  position  in  a 
husband  is  necessary  to  enable  the  bride  to  look 
forward  with  any  degree  of  confidence  to  her 
prospects  of  happiness  when  receiving  the  con- 
gratulations of  her  friends  on  her  wedding-day. 

The  death  of  his  wife  produced  no  good  ef- 
fect upon  the  mind  of  Alexis.  At  the  funeral, 
the  Czar  his  father  addressed  him  in  a  very 
stern  and  severe  manner  in  respect  to  his  evil 
ways,  and  declared  to  him  positively  that,  if  he 
did  not  at  once  reform  and  thenceforth  lead  a 
life  more  in  conformity  with  his  position  and 
his  obligations,  he  would  cut  him  off  from  the 
inheritance  to  the  crown,  even  if  it  should  be 
necessary,  on  that  account,  to  call  in  some 
stranger  to  be  his  heir. 

The  communication  which  the  Czar  made  to 
his  son  on  this  occasion  was  in  writing,  and  the 
terms  in  which  it  was  expressed  were  very  ser 
vere.     It  commenced  by  reciting  at  length  the 


288  Peter  the  Great.        [1715. 

Letter  to  Alexis.  Positive  declarations  contained  in  it. 


long  and  fruitless  efforts  which  the  Czar  had 
made  to  awaken  something  like  an  honorable 
ambition  in  the  mind  of  his  son,  and  to  lead 
him  to  reform  his  habits,  and  concluded,  sub- 
stantially, as  follows : 

"  How  often  have  I  reproached  you  with  the 
obstinacy  of  your  temper  and  the  perverseness 
of  your  disposition !  How  often,  even,  have  I 
corrected  you  for  them!  And  now,  for  how 
many  years  have  I  desisted  from  speaking  any 
longer  of  them !  But  all  has  been  to  no  pur- 
pose. My  reproofs  have  been  fruitless.  I  have 
only  lost  my  time  and  beaten  the  air.  You  do 
not  so%  much  as  strive  to  grow  better,  and  all 
your  satisfaction  seems  to  consist  in  laziness 
and  inactivity. 

"  Having,  therefore,  considered  all  these 
things,  and  fully  reflected  upon  them,  as  I  see 
I  have  not  been  able  to  engage  you  by  any  mo- 
tives to  do  as  you  ought,  I  have  come  to  the 
conclusion  to  lay  before  you,  in  writing,  this  my 
last  determination,  resolving,  however,  to  wait 
still  a  little  longer  before  I  come  to  a  final  ex- 
ecution of  my  purpose,  in  order  to  give  you 
one  more  trial  to  see  whether  you  will  amend 
or  no.  If  you  do  not,  I  am  fully  resolved  to 
cut  you  off  from  the  succession. 


1715.]       The  Prince  Alexis.  289 

The  real  ground  of  complaint 

"  Do  not  think  that  because  I  have  no  other 
son  I  will  not  realty  do  this,  but  only  say  it  to 
frighten  you.  You  may  rely  upon  it  that  I 
will  certainly  do  what  I  say;  for,  as  I  spare 
not  my  own  life  for  the  good  of  my  country 
and  the  safety  of  my  people,  why  should  I  spare 
you,  who  will  not  take  the  pains  to  make  your- 
self worthy  of  them  ?  I  shall  much  prefer  to 
transmit  this  trust  to  some  worthy  stranger 
than  to  an  unworthy  son. 

"  (Signed  with  his  majesty's  own  hand), 

"  Peter." 


The  reader  will  observe,  from  the  phraseology 
of  these  concluding  paragraphs,  what  is  made 
still  more  evident  by  the  perusal  of  the  whole 
letter,  that  the  great  ground  of  Peter's  com- 
plaint against  his  son  was  not  his  immorality 
and  wickedness,  but  his  idleness  and  ineffi- 
ciency. If  he  had  shown  himself  an  active  and 
spirited  young  man,  full  of  military  ardor,  and 
of  ambition  to  rule,  he  might  probably,  in  his 
private  life,  have  been  as  vicious  and  depraved 
as  he  pleased  without  exciting  his  father's  dis- 
pleasure. But  Peter  was  himself  so  full  of  am- 
bition and  energy,  and  he  had  formed,  more- 
over, such  vast  plans  for  the  aggrandizement  of 
the  empire,  many  of  which  could  only  be  com* 
T 


290  Peter  the  Great.         [1715. 

Alexis's  excises.  His  reply  to  his  father. 

menced  during  his  lifetime,  and  must  depend 
for  their  full  accomplishment  on  the  vigor  and 
talent  of  his  successor,  that  he  had  set  his  heart 
very  strongly  on  making  his  son  one  of  the 
first  military  men  of  the  age ;  and  he  now  lost 
all  patience  with  him  when  he  saw  him  stupidly 
neglecting  the  glorious  opportunity  before  him, 
and  throwing  away  all  his  advantages,  in  order 
to  spend  his  time  in  ease  and  indulgence,  thus 
thwarting  and  threatening  to  render  abortive 
some  of  his  father's  favorite  and  most  far-reach- 
ing plans. 

The  excuse  which  Alexis  made  for  his  con- 
duct was  the  same  which  bad  boys  often  offer 
for  idleness  and  delinquency,  namely,  his  ill 
health.  His  answer  to  his  father's  letter  was 
as  follows.  It  was  not  written  until  two  or 
three  weeks  after  his  father's  letter  was  re- 
ceived, and  in  that  interim  a  son  was  born  to 
the  Empress  Catharine,  as  related  in  the  last 
chapter.  It  is  to  this  infant  son  that  Alexis 
alludes  in  his  letter : 

"My  clement  Lord  and  Father, — 
"I  have  read  the  writing  your  majesty  gave 
me  on  the  27th  of  October,  1715,  after  the  in- 
terment of  my  late  spouse. 

"I  have  nothing  to  reply  to  it  but  that  if  it 


1715.]       The  Prince  Alexis.  291 

He  surrenders  his  claim  to  the  crown. 

is  your  majesty's  pleasure  to  deprive  me  of  the 
crown  of  Eussia  by  reason  of  my  inability — 
your  will  be  done.  I  even  earnestly  request  it 
at  your  majesty's  hands,  as  I  do  not  think  my- 
self fit  for  the  government.  My  memory  is 
much  weakened,  and  without  it  there  is  no  pos- 
sibility of  managing  affairs.  My  mind  and  body 
are  much  decayed  by  the  distempers  to  which 
I  have  been  subject,  which  renders  me  incapa- 
ble of  governing  so  many  people,  who  must 
necessarily  require  a  more  vigorous  man  at  their 
head  than  I  am. 

"  For  which  reason  I  should  not  aspire  to  the 
succession  of  the  crown  of  Eussia  after  you — 
whom  God  long  preserve — even  though  I  had 
no  brother,  as  I  have  at  present,  whom  I  pray 
God  also  to  preserve.  Nor  will  I  ever  here- 
after lay  claim  to  the  succession,  as  I  call  God 
to  witness  by  a  solemn  oath,  in  confirmation 
whereof  I  write  and  sign  this  letter  with  my 
own  hand. 

"I  give  my  children  into  your  hands,  and, 
for  my  part,  desire  no  more  than  a  bare  main- 
tenance so  long  as  I  live,  leaving  all  the  rest  to 
your  consideration  and  good  pleasure. 

"  Your  most  humble  servant  and  son, 

"Alexis." 


292  Peter  the  Great.        [1716. 

Another  letter  from  the  Czar.  New  threats. 

The  Czar  did  not  immediately  make  any  re- 
joinder to  the  foregoing  communication  from 
his  son.  During  the  fall  and  winter  months  of 
that  year  he  was  much  occupied  with  public 
affairs,  and  his  health,  moreover,  was  quite  in- 
firm. At  length,  however,  about  the  middle 
of  June,  he  wrote  to  his  son  as  follows : 

"  My  Son, — As  my  illness  hath  hitherto  pre- 
vented me  from  letting  you  know  the  resolu- 
tions I  have  taken  with  reference  to  the  answer 
you  returned  to  my  former  letter,  I  now  send 
you  my  reply.  I  observe  that  you  there  speak 
of  the  succession  as  though  I  had  need  of  your 
consent  to  do  in  that  respect  what  absolutely 
depends  on  my  own  will.  But  whence  comes 
it  that  you  make  no  mention  of  your  voluntary 
indolence  and  inefficiency,  and  the  aversion  you 
constantly  express  to  public  affairs,  which  I 
spoke  of  in  a  more  particular  manner  than  of 
your  ill  health,  though  the  latter  is  the  only 
thiDg  you  take  notice  of?  I  also  expressed  my 
dissatisfaction  with  your  whole  conduct  and 
mode  of  life  for  some  years  past.  But  of  this 
you  are  wholly  silent,  though  I  strongly  insist- 
ed upon  it. 

"  From  these  things  I  judge  that  my  father- 
ly exhortations  make  no  impression  upon  you. 


1716.]      The  Prince  Alexis.  293 


More  positive  declarations. 


For  this  reason  I  have  determined  to  write  this 
letter  to  yon,  and  it  shall  be  the  last. 

"I  don't  find  that  yon  make  any  acknowl- 
edgment of  the  obligation  yon  owe  to  yonr  fa- 
ther who  gave  yon  life.  Have  yon  assisted 
him,  since  yon  came  to  maturity  of  years,  in 
his  labors  and  pains?  No,  certainly.  The 
world  knows  that  yon  have  not.  On  the  other 
hand,  yon  blame  and  abhor  whatever  of  good 
I  have  been  able  to  do  at  the  expense  of  my 
health,  for  the  love  I  have  borne  to  my  people, 
and  for  their  advantage,  and  I  have  all  im- 
aginable reason  to  believe  that  you  will  destroy 
it  all  in  case  you  should  survive  me. 

"  I  can  not  let  you  continue  in  this  way.  Ei- 
ther change  your  conduct,  and  labor  to  make 
yourself  worthy  of  the  succession,  or  else  take 
upon  you  the  monastic  vow.  I  can  not  rest 
satisfied  with  your  present  behavior,  especially 
as  I  find  that  my  health  is  declining.  As  soon, 
therefore,  as  you  shall  have  received  this  my 
letter,  let  me  have  your  answer  in  writing,  or 
give  it  to  me  yourself  in  person.  If  you  do 
not,  I  shall  at  once  proceed  against  you  as  a 
malefactor.  (Signed)        Peter." 

To  this  communication  Alexis  the  next  day 
returned  the  following  reply : 


294  Peter  the  Great.         [1716. 

Alexis's  answer.       Real  state  of  his  health.        His  depraved  character. 

"  Most  clement  Lord  and  Father, — 
"I  received  yesterday  in  the  morning  your 
letter  of  the  19th  of  this  month.  My  indispo- 
sition will  not  allow  me  to  write  a  long  answer. 
I  shall  enter  upon  a  monastic  life,  and  beg  your 
gracious  consent  for  so  doing. 

"  Your  most  humble  servant  and  son, 

"Alexis." 

There  is  no  doubt  that  there  was  some  good 
ground  for  the  complaints  which  Alexis  made 
with  respect  to  his  health.  His  original  con- 
stitution was  not  vigorous,  and  he  had  greatly 
impaired  both  his  mental  and  physical  powers 
by  his  vicious  indulgences.  Still,  his  excusing 
himself  so  much  on  this  ground  was  chiefly  a 
pretense,  his  object  being  to  gain  time,  and  pre- 
vent his  father  from  coming  to  any  positive  de- 
cision, in  order  that  he  might  continue  his  life 
of  indolence  and  vice  a  little  longer  undisturb- 
ed. Indeed,  it  was  said  that  the  incapacity  to 
attend. to  the  studies  and  perform  the  duties 
which  his  father  required  of  him  was  mainly 
due  to  his  continual  drunkenness,  which  kept 
him  all  the  time  in  a  sort  of  brutal  stupor. 

Nor  was  the  fault  wholly  on  his  side.  His 
father  was  very  harsh  and  severe  in  his  treat- 
ment of  him,  and  perhaps,  in  the  beginning, 


1716.]      The  Prince  Alexis.  295 

The  companions  and  counselors  of  Alexis.  Priests. 

made  too  little  allowance  for  the  feebleness  of 
bis  constitution.  Neither  of  the  two  were  sin- 
cere in  what  they  said  about  Alexis  becoming 
a  monk.  Peter,  in  threatening  to  send  him  to 
a  monastery,  only  meant  to  frighten  him ;  and 
Alexis,  in  saying  that  he  wished  to  go,  intend- 
ed only  to  circumvent  his  father,  and  save  him- 
self from  being  molested  by  him  any  more. 
He  knew  very  well  that  his  becoming  a  monk 
would  be  the  last  thing  that  his  father  would 
really  desire. 

Besides,  Alexis  was  surrounded  by  a  num- 
ber of  companions  and  advisers,  most  of  them 
lewd  and  dissolute  fellows  like  himself,  but 
among  them  were  some  much  more  cunning 
and  far-sighted  than  he,  and  it  was  under  their 
advicethat  he  acted  in  all  the  measures  that  he 
took,  and  in  every  thing  that  he  said  and  did 
in  the  course  of  this  quarrel  with  his  father. 
Among  these  men  were  several  priests,  who, 
like  the  rest,  though  priests,  were  vile  and  dis- 
solute men.  These  priests,  and  Alexis's  other 
advisers,  told  him  that  he  was  perfectly  safe  in 
pretending  to  accede  to  his  father's  plan  to  send 
him  to  a  monastery,  for  his  father  would  never 
think  of  such  a  thing  as  putting  the  threat  in 
execution.  Besides,  if  he  did,  it  would  do  no 
harm ;  for  the  vows  that  he  would  take,  though 


296  Peter  the  Great.        [1716. 

Designs  of  Alexia's  companions.  General  policy  of  an  opposition. 

so  utterly  irrevocable  in  the  case  of  common 
men,  would  all  cease  to  be  of  force  in  his  case, 
in  the  event  of  his  father's  death,  and  his  suc- 
ceeding to  the  throne.  And,  in  the  mean  time, 
he  could  go  on,  they  said,  taking  his  ease  and 
pleasure,  and  living  as  he  had  always  done. 

Many  of  the  persons  who  thus  took  sides 
with  Alexis,  and  encouraged  him  in  his  oppo- 
sition to  his  father,  had  very  deep  designs  in  so 
doing.  They  were  of  the  party  who  opposed 
the  improvements  and  innovations  which  Peter 
had  introduced,  and  who  had  in  former  times 
made  the  Princess  Sophia  their  head  and  rally  - 
ing-point  in  their  opposition  to  Peter's  policy. 
It  almost  always  happens  thus,  that  when,  in  a 
monarchical  country,  there  is  a  party  opposed 
to  the  policy  which  the  sovereign  pursues,  the 
disaffected  persons  endeavor,  if  possible,  to  find 
a  head,  or  leader,  in  some  member  of  the  royal 
family  itself,  and  if  they  can  gain  to  their  side 
the  one  next  in  succession  to  the  crown,  so 
much  the  better.  To  this  end  it  is  for  their  in- 
terest to  foment  a  quarrel  in  the  royal  family, 
or,  if  the  germ  of  a  quarrel  appears,  arising  from 
some  domestic  or  other  cause,  to  widen  the 
breach  as  much  as  possible,  and  avail  them- 
selves of  the  dissension  to  secure  the  name  and 
the  influence  of  the  prince  or  princess  thus  al- 


1716.]      The  Prince  Alexis.  297 

The  old  Muscovite  party.  Views  of  Alexis. 

ienated  from  the-  king  as  their  rallying-point 
and  centre  of  action. 

This  was  just  the  case  in  the  present  instance. 
The  old  Muscovite  party,  as  it  was  called,  that 
is,  the  party  opposed  to  the  reforms  and  changes 
which  Peter  had  made,  and  to  the  foreign  influ- 
ences which  he  had  introduced  into  the  realm, 
gathered  around  Alexis.  Some  of  them,  it  was 
said,  began  secretly  to  form  conspiracies  for  de- 
posing Peter,  raising  Alexis  nominally  to  the 
throne,  and  restoring  the  old  order  of  things. 
Peter  knew  all  this,  and  the  fears  which  these 
rumors  excited  in  his  mind  greatly  increased 
his  anxiety  in  respect  to  the  course  which  Alex- 
is was  pursuing  and  the  exasperation  which  he 
felt  against  his  son.  Indeed,  there  was  reason 
to  believe  that  Alexis  himself,  so  far  as  he  had 
any  political  opinions,  had  adopted  the  views 
of  the  malcontents.  It  was  natural  that  he 
should  do  so,  for  the  old  order  of  things  was 
much  better  adapted  to  the  wishes  and  desires 
of  a  selfish  and  dissolute  despot,  who  only  val- 
ued his  exaltation  and  power  for  the  means 
of  unlimited  indulgence  in  sensuality  and  vice 
which  they  afforded.  It  was  this  supposed 
bias  of  Alexis's  mind  against  his  father's  policy 
of  reform  that  Peter  referred  to  in  his  letter 
when  he   spoke  of  Alexis's  desire  to  thwart 


298  Petek  the  Great.         [1716. 

Peter  at  a  loss.  One  more  final  determination. 

him  in  his  measures  and  undo  all  that  he  had 
done. 

When  he  received  Alexis's  letter  informing 
him  that  he  was  ready  to  enter  upon  the  mo- 
nastic life  whenever  his  father  pleased,  Peter 
was  for  a  time  at  a  loss  what  to  do.  He  had  no 
intention  of  taking  Alexis  at  his  word,  for  in 
threatening  to  make  a  monk  of  him  he  had 
only  meant  to  frighten  him.  For  a  time,  there- 
fore, after  receiving  this  reply,  he  did  nothing, 
but  only  vented  his  anger  in  useless  impreca- 
tions and  mutterings. 

Peter  was  engaged  at  this  time  in  very  im- 
portant public  affairs  arising  out  of  the  wars  in 
which  he  was  engaged  with  some  foreign  na- 
tions, and  important  negotiations  which  were 
going  on  with  others.  Not  long  after  receiv- 
ing the  short  letter  from  Alexis  last  cited,  he 
was  called  upon  to  leave  Russia  for  a  time,  to 
make  a  journey  into  central  Europe.  Before 
he  went  away  he  called  to  see  Alexis,  in  order 
to  bid  him  adieu,  and  to  state  to  him  once  more 
what  he  called  his  final  determination. 

Alexis,  when  he  heard  that  his  father  was 
coming,  got  into  his  bed,  and  received  him  in 
that  way,  as  if  he  were  really  quite  sick. 

Peter  asked  him  what  conclusion  he  had 
come  to.     Alexis  replied,  as  before,  that  he 


1716.]      The  Prince  Alexis.  299 


Farewell  conversation.  Alexis's  duplicity. 

wished  to  enter  a  monastery,  and  that  he  was 
ready  to  do  so  at  any  time.  His  father  re- 
monstrated with  him  long  and  earnestly  against 
this  resolution.  He  represented  in  strong  terms 
the  folly  of  a  young  man  like  himself,  in  the 
prime  of  his  years,  and  with  such  prospects 
before  him,  abandoning  every  thing,  and  shut- 
ting himself  up  all  his  days  to  the  gloomy  au- 
sterities of  a  monastic  life ;  and  he  endeavored 
to  convince  him  how  much  better  it  would  be 
for  him  to  change  his  course  of  conduct,  to  en- 
ter vigorously  upon  the  fulfillment  of  his  duties 
as  a  son  and  as  a  prince,  and  prepare  himself 
for  the  glorious  destiny  which  awaited  him  on 
the  Eussian  throne. 

Finally,  the  Czar  said  that  he  would  give 
him  six  months  longer  to  consider  of  it,  and 
then,  bidding  him  farewell,  went  away. 

As  soon  as  he  was  gone  Alexis  rose  from  his 
bed,  and  went  away  to  an  entertainment  with 
some  of  his  companions.  He  doubtless  amused 
them  during  the  carousal  by  relating  to  them 
what  had  taken  place  during  the  interview 
with  his  father,  and  how  earnestly  the  Czar  had 
argued  against  his  doing  what  he  had  begun 
originally  with  threatening  to  make  him  do. 

The  Czar's  business  called  him  to  Copen- 
hagen.    While  there  he  received  one  or  two 


300  Peter  the  Great.         [1716. 

Letter  from  Copenhagen.  Alternative  offered. 

letters  from  Alexis,  but  there  was  nothing  in 
them  to.  denote  any  change  in  his  intentions, 
and,  finally,  toward  the  end  of  the  summer,  the 
Czar  wrote  him  again  in  the  following  very  se- 
vere and  decided  manner : 


"Copenhagen,  Aug.  26th,  1716. 

"My  Son,— Your  first  letter  of  the  29th  of 
June,  and  your  next  of  the  30th  of  July,  were 
brought  to  me.  As  in  them  you  speak  only 
of  the  condition  of  your  health,  I  send  you  the 
present  letter  to  tell  you  that  I  demanded  of 
you  your  resolution  upon  the  affair  of  the  suc- 
cession when  I  bade  you  farewell.  You  then 
answered  me,  in  your  usual  manner,  that  you 
judged  yourself  incapable  of  it  by  reason  of 
your  infirmities,  and  that  you  should  choose 
rather  to  retire  into  a  convent.  I  bade  you 
seriously  consider  of  it  again,  and  then  send  me 
the  resolution  you  should  take.  I  have  expect- 
ed it  for  these  seven  months,  and  yet  have  heard 
nothing  of  you  concerning  it.  You  have  had 
time  enough  for  consideration,  and,  therefore, 
as  soon  as  you  shall  receive  my  letter,  resolve 
on  one  side  or  on  the  other. 

"If  you  determine  to  apply  yourself  to  your 
duties,  and  qualify  yourself  for  the  succession, 
I  wish  you  to  leave  Petersburg  and  to  come  to 


1716.]      The  Prince  Alexis.  301 

Peter's  unreasonable  severity.  Alexis  made  desperate. 

me  here  within  a  week,  so  as  to  be  here  in  time 
to  be  present  at  the  opening  of  the  campaign ; 
but  if,  on  the  other  hand,  you  resolve  upon  the 
monastic  life,  let  me  know  ivlien,  where,  and  on 
what  day  you  will  execute  your  resolution,  so 
that  my  mind  may  be  at  rest,  and  that  I  may 
know  what  to  expect  of  you.  Send  me  back 
your  final  answer  by  the  same  courier  that  shall 
bring  you  my  letter. 

"  Be  particular  to  let  me  know  the  day  when 
you  will  set  out  from  Petersburg,  if  you  con- 
clude to  come  to  me,  and,  if  not,  precisely  when 
you  will  perform  your  vow.  I  again  tell  you 
that  I. absolutely  insist  that  you  shall  determ- 
ine upon  something,  otherwise  I  shall  conclude 
that  you  are  only  seeking  to  gain  time  in  order 
that  you  may  spend  it  in  your  customary  lazi- 
ness. Peter." 

-  When  we  consider  that  Alexis  was  at  this 
time  a  man  nearly  thirty  years  of  age,  and  him- 
self the  father  of  a  family,  we  can  easily  imagine 
that  language  like  this  was  more  adapted  to  ex- 
asperate him  and  make  him  worse  than  to  win 
him  to  his  duty.  He  was,  in  fact,  driven  to  a 
species  of  desperation  by  it,  and  he  so  far  aroused 
himself  from  his  usual  indolence  and  stupidity 
as  to  form  a  plan,  in  connection  with  some  of 


802  Peter  the  Great.         [1716. 

Alexis's  resolution. 

Lis  evil  advisers,  to  make  his  escape  from  his 
father's  control  entirely  by  secretly  absconding 
from  the  country,  and  seeking  a  retreat  under 
the  protection  of  some  foreign  power.  The 
manner  in  which  he  executed  this  scheme,  and 
the  consequences  which  finally  resulted  from  it, 
will  be  related  in  the  next  chapter. 


1717.]  The   Flight  of  Alexis.       303 

§ 

Alexis  resolves  to  escape. 


Chapter  XVI. 
The  Flight  of  Alexis. 

WHEN  Alexis  received  the  letter  from  his 
father  at  Copenhagen,  ordering  him  to 
proceed  at  once  to  that  city  and  join  his  father 
there,  or  else  to  come  to  a  definite  and  final  con- 
clusion in  respect  to  the  convent  that  he  would 
join,  he  at  once  determined,  as  intimated  in  the 
last  chapter,  that  he  would  avail  himself  of  the 
opportunity  to  escape  from  his  father's  control 
altogether.  Under  pretense  of  obeying  his 
father's  orders  that  he  should  go  to  Copenha- 
gen,, he  could  make  all  the  necessary  prepara- 
tions for  leaving  the  country  without  suspicion, 
and  then,  when  once  across  the  frontier,  he  could 
go  where  he  pleased.  He  determined  to  make 
his  escape  to  a  foreign  court,  with  a  view  of 
putting  himself  under  the  protection  there  of 
some  prince  or  potentate  who,  from  feelings  of 
rivalry  toward  his  father,  or  from  some  other 
motive,  might  be  disposed,  he  thought,  to  es- 
pouse his  cause. 

He  immediately  began  to  make  arrangements 


30-A  Peter  the  Great.         [1717. 

Alexis  makes  arrangements  for  flight.  Secrecy. 

for  his  flight.  What  the  exact  truth  is  in  re- 
spect to  the  arrangements  which  he  made  could 
never  be  fully  ascertained,  for  the  chief  source 
of  information  in  respect  to  them  is  from  con- 
fessions which  Alexis  made  himself  after  he 
was  brought  back.  But  in  these  confessions  he 
made  such  confusion,  first  confessing  a  little, 
then  a  little  more,  then  contradicting  himself, 
then  admitting,  when  the  thing  had  been  proved 
against  him,  what  he  had  before  denied,  that  it 
was  almost  impossible  to  disentangle  the  truth 
from  his  confused  and  contradictory  declara- 
tions. The  substance  of  the  case  was,  however, 
as  follows : 

In  the  first  place,  he  determined  carefully  to 
conceal  his  design  from  all  except  the  two  or 
three  intimate  friends  and  advisers  who  origi- 
nally counseled  him  to  adopt  it.  He  intended 
to  take  with  him  his  concubine  Afrosinia,  and 
also  -a  number  of  domestic  servants  and  other 
attendants,  but  he  did  not  allow  any  of  them  to 
know  where  he  was  going.  He  gave  them  to 
understand  that  he  was  going  to  Copenhagen 
to  join  his  father.  He  was  afraid  that,  if  any  of 
those  persons  were  to  know  his  real  design,  it 
would,  in  some  way  or  other,  be  divulged. 

As  to  Afrosinia,  he  was  well  aware  that  she 
would  know  that  he  could  not  intend  to  take 


1717.J  The  Flight  of  Alexis.      305 

Alexia  deceives  Afrosinia. 

her  to  Copenhagen  into  his  father's  presence, 
and  so  he  deceived  her  as  to  his  real  design, 
and  induced  her  to  set  out  with  him,  without 
suspicion,  by  telling  her  that  he  was  only  going 
to  take  her  with  him  a  part  of  the  way.  She 
was  only  to  go,  he  said,  as  far  as  Eiga,  a  town 
on  the  shores  of  the  Baltic,  on  the  way  toward 
Copenhagen.  Alexis  was  the  less  inclined  to 
make  a  confidante  of  Afrosinia  from  the  fact 
that  she  had  never  been  .willingly  his  compan- 
ion. She  was  a  Finland  girl,  a  captive  taken  in 
war,  and  preserved  to  be  sold  as  a  slave  on  ac- 
count of  her  beauty.  Vnen  she  came  into  the 
possession  of  Alexis  he  forced  her  to  submit  to 
his  will.  She  was  a  slave,  and  it  was  useless 
for  her  to  resist  or  complain.  It  is  said  that 
Alexis  only  induced  her  to  yield  to  him  by 
drawing  his  knife  and  threatening  to  kill  her 
on  the  spot  if  she  made  any  difficulty.  Thus, 
although  he  seems  to  have  become,  in  the  end, 
strongly  attached  to  her,  he  never  felt  that  she 
was  really  and  cordially  on  his  side.  He  ac- 
cordingly, in  this  case,  concealed  from  her  his 
real  designs,  and  told  her  he  was  only  going  to 
take  her  with  him  a  little  way.  He  would  then 
send  her  back,  he  said,  to  Petersburg.  So  Afro- 
sinia made  arrangements  to  accompany  him 
without  feeling  any  concern. 
U 


306  Peter  the  Great.         [1717. 

How  Alexis  obtained  the  money.  Alexander  Kikin. 

Alexis  obtained  all  the  money  that  he  re- 
quired by  borrowing  considerable  sums  of  the 
different  members  of  the  government  and  friends 
of  his  father,  under  pretense  that  he  was  go- 
ing to  his  father  at  Copenhagen.  He  showed 
them  the  letter  which  his  fafher  had  written 
him,  and  this,  they  thought,  was  sufficient  au- 
thority for  them  to  furnish  him  with  the  money. 
He  borrowed  in  this  way  various  sums  of  dif- 
ferent persons,  and  thus  obtained  an  abundant 
supply.  The  largest  sum  which  he  obtained 
from  any  one  person  was  two  thousand  ducats, 
which  were  lent  him  by  Prince  Menzikoff,  a 
noble  who  stood  very  high  in  Peter's  confi- 
dence, arid  who  had  been  left  by  him  chief  in 
command  during  his  absence.  The  prince  gave 
Alexis  some  advice,  too,  about  the  arrange- 
ments which  he  was  to  make  for  his  journey, 
supposing  all  the  time  that  he  was  really  going 
to  Copenhagen. 

The  chief  instigator  and  adviser  of  Alexis  in 
this  affair  was  a  man  named  Alexander  Kikin. 
This  Kikin  was  an  officer  of  high  rank  in  the 
navy  department,  under  the  government,  and 
the  Czar  had  placed  great  confidence  in  him. 
But  he  was  inclined  to  espouse  the  cause  of  the 
old  Muscovite  party,  and  to  hope  for  a  revolu- 
tion that  would  bring  that  party  again  into 


1717.]  The  Flight  of  Alexis.       307 

Alexis  seta  oat  on  his  journey.  Meets  Kikin.  Arrangements. 

power.  He  was  not  at  this  time  in  St.  Peters- 
burg, but  had  gone  forward  to  provide  a  place 
of  retreat  for  Alexis.  Alexis  was  to  meet  him 
at  the  town  of  Libau,  which  stands  on  the  shores 
of  the  Baltic  Sea,  between  St.  Petersburg  and 
Konigsberg,  on  the  route  which  Alexis  would 
have  to  take  in  going  to  Copenhagen.  Alexis 
communicated  with  Kikin  in  writing,  and  Ki- 
kin arranged  and  directed  all  the  details  of  the 
plan.  He  kept  purposely  at  a  distance  from 
Alexis,  to  avoid  suspicion. 

At  length,  when  all  was  ready,  Alexis  set 
out  from  St.  Petersburg,  taking  with  him  Afro- 
sinia  and  several  other  attendants,  and  journey- 
ed to  Libau.  There  he  met  Kikin,  and  each 
congratulated  the  other  warmly  on  the  success 
which  had  thus  far  attended  their  operations. 

Alexis  asked  Kikin  what  place  he  had  pro- 
vided for  him,  and  Kikin  replied  that  he  had 
made  arrangements  for  him  to  go  to  Vienna. 
He  had  been  to  Vienna  himself,  he  said,  under 
pretense  of  public  business  committed  to  his 
charge  by  the  Czar,  and  had  seen  and  conferred 
with  the  Emperor  of  Germany  there,  and  the 
emperor  agreed  to  receive  and  protect  him,  and 
not  to  deliver  him  up  to  his  father  until  some 
permanent  and  satisfactory  arrangement  should 
have  been  made. 


308  Peter  the  Great.        [1717. 

Plan3  matured.  Kikin' s  cunning  contrivances. 

" So  you  must  go  on,"  continued  Kikin,  "to 
Konigsberg  and  Dantzic ;  and  then,  instead  of 
going  forward  toward  Copenhagen,  you  will 
turn  off  on  the  road  to  Vienna,  and  when  you 
get  there  the  emperor  will  provide  a  safe  place 
of  retreat  for  you.  When  you  arrive  there,  if 
your  father  should  find  out  where  you  are,  and 
send  some  one  to  try  to  persuade  you  to  return 
home,  you  must  not,  on  any  account,  listen  to 
him ;  for,  as  certain  as  your  father  gets  you 
again  in  his  power,  after  your  leaving  the  coun- 
try in  this  way,  he  will  have  you  beheaded." 

Kikin  contrived  a  number  of  very  cunning 
devices  for  averting  suspicion  from  himself  and 
those  really  concerned  in  the  plot,  and  throw- 
ing it  upon  innocent  persons.  Among  other 
things,  he  induced  Alexis  to  write  several  let- 
ters to  different  individuals  in  St.  Petersburg — 
Prince  Menzikoff  among  the  rest — thanking 
them  for  the  advice  and  assistance  that  they 
had  rendered  him  in  setting  out  upon  his  jour- 
ney, which  advice  and  assistance  was  given 
honestly,  on  the  supposition  that  he  was  really 
going  to  his  father  at  Copenhagen.  The  let- 
ters of  thanks,  however,  which  Kikin  dictated 
were  written  in  an  ambiguous  and  mysterious 
manner,  being  adroitly  contrived  to  awaken 
suspicion  in  Peter's  mind,  if  he  were  to  see 


1717.]  The  Flight  of  Alexis.      309 

False  letters.  Kikin  and  Alexis  concert  their  plan?. 

them,  that  these  persons  were  in  the  secret  of 
Alexis's  plans,  and  really  intended  to  assist  him 
in  his  escape.  When  the  letters  were  written 
Alexis  delivered  them  to  Kikin,  who  at  some 
future  time,  in  case  of  necessity,  was  to  show 
them  to  Peter,  and  pretend  that  he  had  inter- 
cepted them.  Thus  he  expected  to  avert  sus- 
picion from  himself,  and  throw  it  upon  inno- 
cent persons. 

Kikin  also  helped  Alexis  about  writing  a 
letter  to  his  father  from  Libau,  saying  to  him 
that  he  left  St.  Petersburg,  and  had  come  so  far 
on  his  way  toward  Copenhagen.  This  letter 
was,  however,  not  dated  at  Libau,  where  Alexis 
then  was,  but  at  Konigsberg,  which  was  some 
distance  farther  on,  and  it  was  sent  forward  to 
be  transmitted  from  that  place. 

When  Alexis  had  thus  arranged  every  thing 
with  Kikin,  he  prepared  to  set  out  on  his  jour- 
ney again.  He  was  to  go  on  first  to  Konigs- 
berg, then  to  Dantzic,  and  there,  instead  of  em- 
barking on  board  a  ship  to  go  to  Copenhagen, 
according  to  his  father's  plan,  he  was  to  turn  off 
toward  Vienna.  It  was  at  that  point,  accord- 
ingly, that  his  actual  rebellion  against  his  fa- 
ther's commands  would  begin.  He  had  some 
misgivings  about  being  able  to  reach  that  point. 
He  asked  Kikin  what  he  should  do  in  case  his 


310  Peter  the  G-reat.        [1717. 

Possibility  of  being  intercepted.  More  prevarications. 

father  should  have  sent  somebody  to  meet  him 
at  Konigsberg  or  Dantzic. 

"Why,  you  must  join  them  in  the  first  in- 
stance," said  Kikin,  "  and  pretend  to  be  much 
pleased  to  meet  them ;  and  then  you  must  con- 
trive to  make  your  escape  from  them  in  the 
night,  either  entirely  alone,  or  only  with  one 
servant.  You  must  abandon  your  baggage  and 
every  thing  else. 

"Or,  if  you  can  not  manage  to  do  this,"  con- 
tinued Kikin,  "you  must  pretend  to  be  sick; 
and  if  there  are  two  persons  sent  *to  meet  you, 
you  can  send  one  of  them  on  before,  with  your 
baggage  and  attendants,  promising  yourself  to 
come  on  quietly  afterward  with  the  other ;  and 
then  you  can  contrive  to  bribe  the  other,  or  in 
some  other  way  induce  him  to  escape  with  you, 
and  so  go  to  Vienna." 

Alexis  did  not  have  occasion  to  resort  to  ei- 
ther of  these  expedients,  for  nobody  was  sent 
to  meet  him.  He  journeyed  on  without  any 
interruption  till  he  came  to  Konigsberg,  which 
was  the  place  where  the  road  turned  off  to  Vi- 
enna. It  was  now  necessary  to  say  something 
to  Afrosinia  and  his  other  attendants  to  account 
for  the  new  direction  which  his  journey  was  to 
take ;  so  he  told  them  that  he  had  received  a 
letter  from  his  father,  ordering  him,  before  pro- 


1717.]  The  Flight  of  Alexis.      311 

Arrival  at  Vienna.  The  Czar  sends  for  Alexis. 

* 

ceeding  to  Copenhagen,  to  go  to  Vienna  on 
some  public  business  which  was  to  be  done 
there.  Accordingly,  when  he  turned  off,  they 
accompanied  him  without  any  apparent  suspi- 
cion. 

Alexis  proceeded  in  this  way  to  Vienna,  and 
there  he  appealed  to  the  emperor  for  protec- 
tion. The  emperor  received  him,  listened  to 
the  complaints  which  he  made  against  the  Czar 
— for  Alexis,  as  might  have  been  expected,  cast 
all  the  blame  of  the  quarrel  upon  his  father — 
and,  after  entertaining  him  for  a  while  in  dif- 
ferent places,  he  provided  him  at  last  with  a 
secret  retreat  in  a  fortress  in  the  Tyrol. 

Here  Alexis  concealed  himself,  and  it  was  a 
long  time  before  his  father  could  ascertain  what 
had  become  of  him.  At  length  the  Czar  learn- 
ed that  he  was  in  the  emperor's  dominions,  and 
he  wrote  with  his  own  hand  a  very  urgent  let- 
ter to  the  emperor,  representing  the  misconduct 
of  Alexis  in  its  true  light,  and  demanding  that 
he  should  not  harbor  such  an  undutiful  and  re- 
bellious son,  but  should  send  him  home.  He 
sent  two  envoys  to  act  as  the  bearers  of  this  let= 
ter,  and  to  bring  Alexis  back  to  his  father  in 
case  the  emperor  should  conclude  to  surrender 
him. 

The  emperor  communicated  the  contents  of 


312  Peter  the  Great.         [1717. 

Interview  with  the  envoys.  Threats  of  Alexis. 

- — w- . , 

this  letter  to  Alexis,  but  Alexis  begged  him 
not  to  comply  with  his  father's  demand.  He 
said  that  the  difficulty  was  owing  altogether 
to  his  father's  harshness  and  cruelty,  and  that, 
if  he  were  to  be  sent  back,  he  should  be  in 
danger  of  his  life  from  his  father's  violence. 

After  long  negotiations  and  delays,  the  em- 
peror allowed  the  envoys  to  go  and  visit  Alex- 
is in  the  place  of  his  retreat,  with  a  view  of  see- 
ing whether  they  could  not  prevail  upon  him 
to  return  home  with  them.  The  envoys  car- 
ried a  letter  to  Alexis  which  his  father  had 
written  with  his  own  hand,  representing  to  him, 
in  strong  terms,  the  impropriety  and  wicked- 
ness of  his  conduct,  and  the  enormity  of  the 
crime  which  he  had  committed  against  his  fa- 
ther by  his  open  rebellion  against  his  authority, 
and  denouncing  against  him,  if  he  persisted  in 
his  wicked  course,  the  judgment  of  God,  who 
had  threatened  in  his  Word  to  punish  disobedi- 
ent children  with  eternal  death. 

But  all  these  appeals  had  no  effect  upon  the 
stubborn  will  of  Alexis.  He  declared  to  the 
envoys  that  he  would  not  return  with  them ; 
and  he  said,  moreover,  that  the  emperor  had 
promised  to  protect  him,  and  that,  if  his  father 
continued  to  persecute  him  in  this  way,  he 
would  resist  by  force,  and,  with  the  aid  which 


1717.]  The  Flight  of  Alexis.      313 

He  returns  to  Naples.  St.  Elmo.  Long  negotiations. 

the  emperor  would  render  him,  he  would  make 
war  upon  his  father,  depose  him  from  his 
power,  and  raise  himself  to  the  throne  in  his 
stead. 

After  this  there  followed  a  long  period  of 
negotiation  and  delay,  during  which  many 
events  occurred  which  it  would  be  interesting 
to  relate  if  time  and  space  permitted.  Alexis 
was  transferred  from  one  place  to  another,  with 
a  view  of  eluding  any  attempt  which  his  father 
might  make  to  get  possession  of  him  again, 
either  by  violence  or  stratagem,  and  at  length 
was  conveyed  to  Naples,  in  Italy,  and  was  con- 
cealed in  the  castle  of  St.  Elmo  there. 

In  the  mean  time  Peter  grew  more  and  more 
urgent  in  his  demands  upon  the  emperor  to  de- 
liver up  his  son,  and  the  emperor  at  last,  find- 
ing that  the  quarrel  was  really  becoming  seri- 
ous, and  being  convinced,  moreover,  by  the 
representations  which  Peter  caused  to  be  made 
to  him,  that  Alexis  had  been  much  more  to 
blame  than  he  had  supposed,  seemed  disposed 
to  change  his  ground,  and  began  now  to  ad- 
vise Alexis  to  return  home.  Alexis  was  quite 
alarmed  when  he  found  that,  after  all,  he  was 
not  to  be  supported  in  his  rebellion  by  the  em- 
peror, and  at  length,  after  a  great  many  ne- 
gotiations, difficulties,  and  delays,  he  determ- 


814  Peter  the  Great.         [1717. 

Alexia  resolves  at  last  to  return.  His  letter  to  his  father. 

ined  to  make  a  virtue  of  necessity  and  to  go 
home.  His  father  had  written  him  repeated 
letters,  promising  him  a  free  pardon  if  he  would 
return,  and  threatening  him  in  the  most  severe 
and  decided  manner  if  he  did  not.  To  the  last 
of  these  letters,  when  Alexis  had  finally  re- 
solved to  go  back,  he  wrote  the  following  very 
meek  and  submissive  reply.  It  was  written 
from  Naples  in  October,  1717 : 

u  My  clement  Lord  and  Father, — 
"I  have  received  your  majesty's  most  gra- 
cious letter  by  Messrs.  Tolstoi  and  Kumanrow,* 
in  which,  as  also  by  word  of  mouth,  I  am  most 
graciously  assured  of  pardon  for  having  fled 
without  your  permission  in  case  I  return.  I 
give  you  most  hearty  thanks  with  tears  in  my 
eyes,  and  own  myself  unworthy  of  all  favor.  I 
throw  myself  at  your  feet,  and  implore  your 
clemency,  and  beseech  you  to  pardon  my 
crimes,  for  which  I  acknowledge  that  I  deserve 
the  severest  punishment.  But  I  rely  on  your 
gracious  assurances,  and,  submitting  to  your 
pleasure,  shall  set  out  immediately  from  Naples 
to  attend  your  majesty  at  Petersburg  with  those 
whom  your  majesty  has  sent. 

*  These  were  the  envoys,  officers  of  high  rank  in  the 
government,  whom  Peter  had  sent  to  bring  Alexis  back. 


1717.]  The   Flight  of  Alexis.      315 

Alexis  delivers  himself  up. 

"  Your  most  humble  and  unworthy  servant, 
who  deserves  not  to  be  called  your  son, 

"Alexis." 


After  having  written  and  dispatched  this  let- 
ter, Alexis  surrendered  himself  to  Tolstoi  and 
Kumanrow,  and  in  their  charge  set  out  on  his 
return  to  Eussia,  there  to  be  delivered  into  his 
father's  hands ;  for  Peter  was  now  in  Eussia, 
having  returned  there  as  soon  as  he  heard  of 
Alexis's  flight. 


316  Peter  the  Great.         [1717. 

His  father's  manifesto  on  his  return. 


Chapter  XYII. 
The   Trial. 

AS  soon  as  Alexis  arrived  in  the  country, 
his  father  issued  a  manifesto,  in  which  he 
gave  a  long  and  full  account  of  his  son's  misde- 
meanors and  crimes,  and  of  the  patient  and  per- 
severing, but  fruitless  efforts  which  he  himself 
had  made  to  reclaim  him,  and  announced  his 
determination  to  cut  him  off  from  the  succes- 
sion to  the  erown  as  wholly  and  hopelessly  ir- 
reclaimable. This  manifesto  was  one  of  the 
most  remarkable  documents  that  history  re- 
cords. It  concluded  with  deposing  Alexis  from 
all  his  rights  as  son  and  heir  to  his  father,  and 
appointing  his  younger  brother  Peter,  the  little 
son  of  Catharine,  as  inheritor  in  his  stead ;  and 
finally  laying  the  paternal  curse  upon  Alexis 
if  he  ever  thereafter  pretended  to,  or  in  any 
way  claimed  the  succession  of  which  he  had 
been  deprived. 

This  manifesto  was  issued  as  soon  as  Peter 
learned  that  Alexis  had  arrived  in  the  country 
under  the  charge  of  the  officers  who  had  been 


1718.]  The  Trial,  317 

Interview  between  Alexis  and  his  father.  An-e  •  of  the  Czar. 


appointed  to  bring  him,  and  before  the  Czar 
had  seen  him.  Alexis  continued  his  journey 
to  Moscow,  where  the  Czar  then  was.  When 
he  arrived  he  went  that  same  night  to  the  pal- 
ace, and  there  had  a  long  conference  with  his 
father.  He  was  greatly  alarmed  and  overawed 
by  the  anger  which  his  father  expressed,  and 
he  endeavored  very  earnestly,  by  expressions 
of  penitence  and  promises  of  amendment,  to  ap- 
pease him.  But  it  was  now  too  late.  The  ire 
of  the  Czar  was  thoroughly  aroused,  and  he 
could  not  be  appeased.  He  declared  that  he 
was  fully  resolved  on  deposing  his  son,  as  he 
had  announced  in  his  manifesto,  and  that  the 
necessary  steps  for  making  the  act  of  deposition 
in  a  formal  and  solemn  manner,  so  as  to  give  it 
full  legal  validity  as  a  measure  of  state,  would 
be  taken  on  the  following  day. 

It  must  be  confessed  that  the  agitation  and 
anger  which  Peter  now  manifested  were  not 
wholly-  without  excuse,  for  the  course  which 
Alexis  had  pursued  had  been  the  means  of  ex-, 
posing  his  father  to  a  great  and  terrible  danger 
— to  that,  namely,  of  a  rebellion  among  his  sub- 
jects. Peter  did  not  even  know  but  that  such 
a  rebellion  was  already  planned  and  was  ripe 
for  execution,  and  that  it  might  not  break  out 
at  any  time,  notwithstanding  his  having  sue- 


318  Peter  the  Great.         [1718. 

Substantial  cause  for  Peter's  excitement.         Grand  councils  convened. 

ceeded  in  recovering  possession  of  the  person 
of  Alexis,  and  in  bringing  him  home.  Of  such 
a  rebellion,  if  one  had  been  planned,  the  name 
of  Alexis  would  have  been,  of  course,  the  watch- 
word and  rallying-point,  and  Peter  had  a  great 
deal  of  ground  for  apprehension  that  such  a 
one  had  been  extensively  organized  and  was 
ready  to  be  carried  into  effect.  He  immediate- 
ly set  himself  at  work  to  ferret  out  the  whole 
affair,  resolving,  however,  in  the  first  place,  to 
disable  Alexis  himself  from  doing  any  farther 
mischief  by  destroying  finally  and  forever  all 
claims  on  his  part  to  the  inheritance  of  the 
crown. 

Accordingly,  on  the  following  morning,  be- 
fore daybreak,  the  garrison  of  the  city  were  put 
under  arms,  and  a  regiment  of  the  Guards  was 
posted  around  the  palace,  so  as  to  secure  all  the 
gates  and  avenues ;  and  orders  were  sent,  at  the 
same  time,  to  the  principal  ministers,  nobles, 
and  counselors  of  state,  to  repair  to  the  great 
hall  in  the  castle,  and  to  the  bishops  and  cler- 
gy to  assemble  in  the  Cathedral.  Every  body 
knew  that  the  occasion  on  which  they  were 
convened  was  that  they  might  witness  the  dis- 
inheriting of  the  prince  imperial  by  his  father, 
in  consequence  of  his  vices  and  crimes ;  and  in 
coming  together  in  obedience  to  the  summons, 


1718.]  The  Trial.  319 

Scene  in  the  hall.  Conditional  promise  of  pardon. 

the  minds  of  all  men  were  filled  with  solemn 
awe,  like  those  of  men  assembling  to  witness 
an  execution. 

When  the  appointed  hour  arrived  the  great 
bell  was  tolled,  and  Alexis  was  brought  into 
the  hall  of  the  castle,  where  the  nobles  were  as- 
sembled, bound  as  a  prisoner,  and  deprived  of 
his  sword.  The  Czar  himself  stood  at  the  up- 
per end  of  the  hall,  surrounded  by  the  chief 
officers  of  state.  Alexis  was  brought  before 
him.  As  he  approached  he  presented  a  writ- 
ing to  his  father,  and  then  fell  down  on  his 
knees  before  him,  apparently  overwhelmed  with 
grief  and  shame. 

The  Czar  handed  the  paper  to  one  of  his  offi- 
cers who  stood  near,  and  then  asked  Alexis 
what  it  was  that  he  desired.  Alexis,  in  reply, 
begged  that  his  father  would  have  mercy  upon 
him  and  spare  his  life.  The  Czar  said  that  he 
would  spare  his  life,  and  forgive  him  for  all  his 
treasonable  and  rebellious  acts,  on  condition 
that  he  would  make  a  full  and  complete  con- 
fession, without  any  restriction  or  reserve,  of 
every  thing  connected  with  his  late  escape  from 
the  country,  explaining  fully  all  the  details  of 
the  plan  which  he  had  formed,  and  reveal  the 
names  of  all  his  advisers  and  accomplices.  But 
if  his  confession  was  not  full  and  complete — if 


320  Peter  the  Great.         [1718. 

Alexis  humbled.  Secret  conference. 

he  suppressed  or  concealed  any  thing,  or  the 
name  of  any  person  concerned  in  the  affair  or 
privy  to  it,  then  this  promise  of  pardon  should 
be  null  and  void. 

The  Czar  also  said  that  Alexis  must  renounce 
the  succession  to  the  crown,  and  must  confirm 
the  renunciation  by  a  solemn  oath,  and  ac- 
knowledge it  by  signing  a  declaration,  in  writ- 
ing, to  that  effect  with  his  own  hand.  To  all 
this,  Alexis,  who  seemed  overwhelmed  with 
contrition  and  anguish,  solemnly  agreed,  and 
declared  that  he  was  ready  to  make  a  full  and 
complete  confession. 

The  Czar  then  asked  his  son  who  it  was  that 
advised  him  and  aided  him  in  his  late  escape 
from  the  kingdom.  Alexis  seemed  unwilling 
to  reply  to  this  question  in  the  midst  of  such 
an  assemblage,  but  said  something  to  his  father 
in  a  low  voice,  which  the  others  could  not  hear. 
In  consequence  of  what  he  thus  said  his  father 
took  him  into  an  adjoining  room,  and  there  con- 
versed with  him  in  private  for  a  few  minutes, 
and  then  both  returned  together  into  the  public 
hall.  It  is  supposed  that  while  they  were  thus 
apart  Alexis  gave  his  father  the  names  of  some 
of  those  who  had  aided  and  abetted  him  in  his 
absconding,  for  immediately  afterward  three 
couriers  were  dispatched  in  three  different  di- 


1718.]  The   Trial.  321 

Alexis  disinherited.  The  new  heir. 

rections,  as  if  with  orders  to  arrest  trie  persons 
who  were  thus  accused. 

As  soon  as  Alexis  and  his  father  had  return- 
ed into  the  hall,  the  document  was  produced 
which  the  prince  was  to  sign,  renouncing  the 
succession  to  the  crown.  The  signature  and 
seal  of  Alexis  were  affixed  to  this  document 
with  all  due  formality.  Then  a  declaration 
was  made  on  the  part  of  the  Czar,  stating  the 
reasons  which  had  induced  his  majesty  to  de- 
pose his  eldest  son  from  the  succession,  and  to 
appoint  his  younger  son,  Peter,  in  his  place. 
This  being  done,  all  the  officers  present  were 
required  to  make  a  solemn  oath  on  the  Gospels, 
and  to  sign  a  written  declaration,  of  which  sev- 
eral copies  had  previously  been  prepared,  im- 
porting that  the  Czar,  having  excluded  from  the 
crown  his  son  Alexis,  and  appointed  his  son 
Peter  his  successor  in  his  stead,  they  owned  the 
legality  and  binding  force  of  the  decree,  ac- 
knowledged Peter  as  the  true  and  rightful  heir, 
and  bound  themselves  to  stand  by  him  with 
their  lives  against  any  or  all  who  should  oppose 
him,  and  declared  that  they  never  would,  under 
any  pretense  whatsoever,  adhere  to  Alexis,  or 
assist  him  in  recovering  the  succession. 

The  whole  company  then  repaired  to  the 
Cathedral,  where  the  bishops  and  other  eccle- 
'X 


322  Peter  the  Great.        [1718. 

Oaths  administered.       Alexis  imprisoned.        Investigation  commenced. 

siastics  were  assembled,  and  there  the  whole 
body  of  the  clergy  solemnly  took  the  same  oath 
and  subscribed  the  same  declaration.  The  same 
oath  was  also  afterward  administered  to  all  the 
officers  pf  the  army,  governors  of  the  provinces, 
and  other  public  functionaries  throughout  the 
empire. 

When  these  ceremonies  at  the  palace  and  at 
the  Cathedral  were  concluded,  the  company  dis- 
persed. Alexis  was  placed  in  confinement  in 
one  of  the  palaces  in  Moscow,  and  none  were 
allowed  to  have  access  to  him  except  those 
whom  the  Czar  appointed  to  keep  him  in 
charge. 

Immediately  after  this  the  necessary  pro- 
ceedings for  a  full  investigation  of  the  whole 
affair  were  commenced  in  a  formal  and  solemn 
manner.  A  series  of  questions  were  drawn  up 
and  given  to  Alexis,  that  he  might  make  out 
deliberate  answers  to  them  in  writing.  Grand 
courts  of  investigation  and  inquiry  were  con- 
vened in  Moscow,  the  great  dignitaries  both  of 
Church  and  state  being  summoned  from  all 
parts  of  the  empire  to  attend  them.  These 
persons  came  to  the  capital  in  great  state,  and, 
in  going  to  and  fro  to  attend  at  the  halls  of 
judgment  from  day  to  day,  they  moved  through 
the  streets  with  such  a  degree  of  pomp  and  pa- 


1718.]  The   Tkial.  323 

Prisoners.  The  torture.  Arrest  of  Kikin. 

rade  as  to  attract  great  crowds  of  spectators. 
As  fast  as  the  names  were  discovered  of  per- 
sons who  were  implicated  in  Alexis's  escape,  or 
who  were  suspected  of  complicity  in  it,  officers 
were  dispatched  to  arrest  them.  Some  were 
taken  from  their  beds  at  midnight,  without  a 
moment's  warning,  and  shut  up  in  dungeons  in 
a  great  fortress  at  Moscow.  When  questioned, 
if  they  seemed  inclined  to  return  evasive  an- 
swers, or  to  withhold  any  information  of  which 
the  judges  thought  they  were  possessed,  they 
were  taken  into  the  torturing-room  and  put  to 
the  torture. 

One  of  the  first  who  was  arrested  was  Alex- 
ander Kikin,  who  had  been  Alexis's  chief  con- 
fidant and  adviser  in  all  his  proceedings.  Ki- 
kin had  taken  extreme  precautions  to  guard 
against  having  his  agency  in  the  affair  found 
out;  but  Alexis,  in  the  answers  that  he  gave 
to  the  first  series  of  questions  that  were  put  to 
him,  betrayed  him.  Kikin  was  aware  of  the 
danger,  and,  in  order  to  secure  for  himself  some 
chance  of  escape  in  case  Alexis  should  make 
disclosures  implicating  him,  had  bribed  a  page, 
who  was  always  in  close  attendance  upon  the 
Czar,  to  let  him  know  immediately  in  case  of 
any  movement  to  arrest  him. 

The  name  of  this  page  was  Baklanoffsky. 


324  Peter  the  Great.        [1718. 

The  page.  He  fails  to  warn  Kikin  in  time. 

He  was  in  the  apartment  at  the  time  that  the 
Czar  was  writing  the  order  for  Kikin's  arrest, 
standing,  as  was  his  wont,  behind  the  chair  of 
the  Czar,  so  as  to  be  ready  at  hand  to  convey 
messages  or  to  wait  upon  his  master.  He  look- 
ed over,  and  saw  the  order  which  the  Czar  was 
writing.  He  immediately  contrived  some  ex- 
cuse to  leave  the  apartment,  and  hurrying  away, 
he  went  to  the  post-house  and  sent  off  an  ex- 
press by  post  to  Kikin  at  Petersburg  to  warn 
him  of  the  danger. 

But  the  Czar,  noticing  his  absence,  sent  some 
one  off  after  him,  and  thus  his  errand  at  the 
post-house  was  discovered,  but  not  until  after 
the  express  had  gone.  Another  express  was 
immediately  sent  off  with  the  order  for  Kikin's 
arrest,  and  both  the  couriers  arrived  in  Peters- 
burg very  nearly  at  the  same  time.  The  one, 
however,  who  brought  the  warning  was  a  little 
too  late.  When  he  arrived  the  House  of  the 
commissioner  was  surrounded  by  a  guard  of 
fifty  grenadiers,  and  officers  were  then  in  Ki- 
kin's apartment  taking  him  out  of  his  bed. 
They  put  him  at  once  in  irons  and  took  him 
away,  scarcely  allowing  him  time  to  bid  his 
wife  farewell. 

The  page  was,  of  course,  arrested  and  sent  to 
prison  too.    A  number  of  other  persons,  many 


1718.]  The   Teial.  325 

Condemnation  of  prisoners.  Executions. 

of  whom  were  of  very  high  rank,  were  arrest- 
ed in  a  similar  manner. 

The  arrival  of  Alexis  at  Moscow  took  place 
early  in  February,  and  nearly  all  of  February 
and  March  were  occupied  with  these  arrests  and 
the  proceedings  of  the  court  in  trying  the  pris- 
oners. At  length,  toward  the  end  of  March, 
a  considerable  number,  Kikin  himself  being 
among  them,  were  condemned  to  death,  and 
executed  in  the  most  dreadful  manner  in  a 
great  public  square  in  the  centre  of  Moscow. 
One  was  impaled  alive ;  that  is,  a  great  stake 
was  driven  through  his  body  into  the  ground, 
and  he  was  left  in  that  situation  to  die.  Others 
were  broken  on  the  wheel.  One,  a  bishop,  was 
burnt.  The  heads  of  the  principal  offenders 
were  afterward  cut  off  and  set  up  on  poles  at 
the  four  corners  of  a  square  inclosure  made  for 
the  purpose,  the  impaled  body  lying  in  the 
middle. 

The  page  who  had  been  bribed  by  Kikin 
was  not  put  to  death.  His  life  was  spared, 
perhaps  on  account  of  his  youth,  but  he  was 
very  severely  punished  by  scourging. 

During  all  this  time  Alexis  continued  to 
be  confined  to  his  prison,  and  he  was  subject- 
ed to  repeated  examinations  and  cross-exam- 
inations, in  ordes  to  draw  from  him  not  only 


826  Petee  the  Great.        [1718. 

Dishonest  confessions  of  Alexis.  His  excesses. 

the  whole  truth  in  respect  to  his  own  mo- 
tives and  designs  in  his  flight,  but  also  such 
information  as  might  lead  to  the  full  develop- 
ment of  the  plans  and  designs  of  the  party  in 
Kussia  who  were  opposed  to  the  government 
of  Peter,  and  who  had  designed  to  make  use  of 
the  name  and  position  of  Alexis  for  the  ac- 
complishment of  their  schemes.  Alexis  had 
promised  to  make  a  full  and  complete  confes- 
sion, but  he  did  not  do  so.  In  the  answers  to 
the  series  of  questions  which  were  first  ad- 
dressed to  him,  he  confessed  as  much  as  he 
thought  was  already  known,  and  endeavored 
to  conceal  the  rest.  In  a  short  time,  however, 
many  things  that  he  had  at  first  denied  or 
evaded  were  fully  proved  by  other  testimony 
taken  in  the  trial  of  the  prisoners  who  have 
already  been  referred  to.  Then  Alexis  was 
charged  with  the  omissions  or  evasions  in  his 
confession  which  had  thus  been  made  to  ap- 
pear, and  asked  for  an  explanation,  and  there- 
upon he  made  new  confessions,  acknowledging 
the  newly-discovered  facts,  and  excusing  him- 
self for  not  having  mentioned  them  before  by 
saying  that  he  had  forgotten  them,  or  else  that 
he  was  afraid  to  divulge  them  for  fear  of  injur- 
ing the  persons  that  would  be  implicated  by 
them.     Thus  he  went  on  contradicting  and  in- 


1718.]  The  Teial.  327 

Result  of  the  examinations.  Proofs  against  Alexis. 

volving  himself  more  and  more  by  every  fresh, 
confession,  until,  at  last,  his  father,  and  all  the 
judges  who  had  convened  to  investigate  the 
case,  ceased  to  place  any  confidence  in  any 
thing  that  he  said,  and  lost  almost  all  sympathy 
for  him  in  his  distress. 

The  examination  was  protracted  through 
many  months.  The  result  of  it,  on  the  whole, 
was,  that  it  was  fully  proved  that  there  was  a 
powerful  party  in  Eussia  opposed  to  the  re- 
forms and  improvements  of  the  Czar,  and  par- 
ticularly to  the  introduction  of  the  European 
civilization  into  the  country,  who  were  desir- 
ous of  effecting  a  revolution,  and  who  wished  to 
avail  themselves  of  the  quarrel  between  Alexis 
and  his  father  to  promote  their  schemes.  Alex- 
is was  too  much  stupefied  by  his  continual 
drunkenness  to  take  any  very  active  or  intel- 
ligent part  in  these  schemes,  but  he  was  more 
or  less  distinctly  aware  of  them ;  and  in  the  of- 
fers which  he  had  made  to  enter  a  monastery 
and  renounce  all  claims  to  the  crown  he  had 
been  utterly  insincere,  his  only  object  having 
been  to  blind  his  father  by  means  of  them  and 
gain  time.  He  acknowledged  that  he  had  hated 
his  father,  and  had  wished  for  his  death,  and 
when  he  fled  to  Vienna  it  was  his  intention 
to  remain  until  he  could  return  and  take  pos- 


328  Peter  the  Great.        [1718. 

An  admission.  Testimony  of  Afrosinia. 

session  of  the  empire  in  his  father's  place.  He, 
however,  solemnly  declared  that  it  was  never 
his  intention  to  take  any  steps  himself  toward 
that  end  during  his  father's  lifetime,  though  he 
admitted,  at  last,  when  the  fact  had  been  pretty 
well  proved  against  him  by  other  evidence, 
that,  in  case  an  insurrection  in  his  behalf  had 
broken  out  in  Eussia,  and  he  had  been  called 
upon,  he  should  have  joined  the  rebels. 

A  great  deal  of  information,  throwing  light 
upon  the  plans  of  Alexis  and  of  the  conspira- 
tors in  Eussia  connected  with  him,  was  obtain- 
ed from  the  disclosures  made  by  Afrosinia,  As 
has  already  been  stated,  she  had  been  taken  by 
Alexis  as  a  slave,  and  forced,  against  her  will, 
to  join  herself  to  him  and  to  follow  his  fortunes. 
He  had  never  admitted  her  into  his  confidence, 
but  had  induced  her,  from  time  to  time,  to  act 
as  he  desired  by  telling  her  any  falsehood  which 
would  serve  the  purpose.  She  consequently 
was  not  bound  to  him  by  any  ties  of  honor  or 
affection,  and  felt  herself  at  liberty  to  answer 
freely  all  questions  which  were  put  to  her  by 
the  judges.  Her  testimony  was  of  great  value 
in  many  points,  and  contributed  very  essentially 
toward  elucidating  the  whole  affair. 


1718.]         Death  of  Alexis.  329 

Condition  of  Alexis.  The  two  tribunals. 


Chapter  XVIII. 

The  Condemnation  and  Death  of 
Alexis. 

THE  examinations  and  investigations  de- 
scribed in  the  last  chapter  were  protracted 
through  a  period  of  several  months.  They 
were  commenced  in  February,  and  were  not 
concluded  until  June.  During  all  this  time 
Alexis  had  been  kept  in  close  confinement,  ex- 
cept when  he  had  been  brought  out  before  his 
judges  for,  the  various  examinations  and  cross- 
examinations  to  which  he  had  been  subjected ; 
and  as  the  truth  in  respect  to  his  designs  be- 
came more  and  more  fully  developed,  and  the 
danger  in  respect  to  the  result  increased,  he 
sank  gradually  into  a  state  of  distress  and  ter- 
ror almost  impossible  to  be  conceived. 

The  tribunals  before  whom  he  was  tried  were 
not  the  regular  judicial  tribunals  of  the  coun- 
try. They  were,  on  the  other  hand,  two  grand 
convocations  of  all  the  greaf  official  dignitaries 
of  the  Church  and  of  the  state,  that  were  sum- 
moned expressly  for  this  purpose — not  to  decide 


SCO 

Peter  the  Great.        [1718. 

Their  powers. 

The  Czar  calls  for  a  decision. 

the  case,  for,  according  to  the  ancient  customs 
of  the  Eussian  empire,  that  was  the  sole  and 
exclusive  province  of  the  Czar,  but  to  aid  him 
in  investigating  it,  and  then,  if  called -upon,  to 
give  him  their  counsel  in  respect  to  the  decision 
of  it.  One  of  these  assemblies  consisted  of  the 
ecclesiastical  authorities,  the  archbishops,  the 
bishops,  and  other  dignitaries  of  the  Church. 
The  other  was  composed  of  nobles,  ministers  of 
state,  officers  of  the  army  and  navy  in  high 
command,  and  other  great  civil  and  military 
functionaries.  These  two  assemblies  met  and 
deliberated  in  separate  halls,  and  pursued  their 
investigations  in  respeGt  to  the  several  persons 
implicated  in  the  affair,  as  they  were  success- 
ively brought  before  them,  under  the  direction 
of  the  Czar,  though  the  final  disposal  of  each 
case  rested,  it  was  well  understood,  with  him 
alone. 

At  length,  in  the  month  of  June,  when  all 
the  other  cases  had  been  disposed  of,  and  the 
proof  in  respect  to  Alexis  was  considered  com- 
plete, the  Czar  sent  in  a  formal  address  to  each 
of  these  conventions,  asking  their  opinion  and 
advice  in  respect  to  what  he  ought  to  do  with 
his  son. 

In  his  address  to  the  archbishops  and  bish- 
ops, he  stated  that,  although  he  was  well  aware 


1718.]         Death  of  Alexis.  331 

His  addresses  to  the  two  councils. 

that  he  had  himself  absolute  power  to  judge 
his  sou  for  his  crimes,  and  to  dispose  of  him  ac- 
cording to  his  own  will  and  pleasure,  without 
asking  advice  of  any  one,  still,  "as  men  were 
sometimes  less  discerning,"  he  said,  "in  their 
own  affairs  than  in  those  of  others,  so  that  even 
the  most  skillful  physicians  do  not  run  the 
hazard  of  prescribing  for  themselves,  but  call 
in  the  assistance  of  others  when  they  are  indis- 
posed," in  the  same  manner  he,  having  the  fear 
of  Grod  before  his  eyes,  and  being  afraid  to  of- 
fend him,  had  decided  to  bring  the  question  at 
issue  between  himself  and  his  son  before  them, 
that  they  might  examine  the' Word  of  God  in 
relation  to  it,  and  give  their  opinion,  in  writing, 
what  the  will  of  Grod  in  such  a  case  might  be. 
He  wished  also,  he  said,  that  the  opinion  to 
which  they  should  come  should  be  signed  by 
each  one  of  them  individually,  with  his  own 
hand. 

He  made  a  similar  statement  in  his  address 
to  the  grand  council  of  civil  authorities,  calling 
upon  them  also  to  give  their  opinion  in  respect 
to  what  should  be  done  with  Alexis.  "  I  beg 
of  you,"  he  said,  in  the  conclusion  of  his  ad- 
dress, "  to  consider  of  the  affair,  to  examine  it 
seriously  and  with  attention,  and  see  what  it  is 
that  our  son  has  deserved,  without  nattering 


332  Peter  the  Great.         [1718. 

Deliberations  of  the  clergy. 

me,  or  apprehending  that,  if  in  your  judgment 
he  deserves  no  more  than  slight  punishment,  it 
will  be  disagreeable  to  me ;  for  I  swear  to  you, 
by  the  Great  God  and  by  his  judgments,  that 
you  have  nothing  to  fear  from  me  on  this  ac- 
count. 

"  Neither  are  you  to  allow  the  consideration 
that  it  is  the  son  of  your  sovereign  that  you 
are  to  pass  judgment  upon  to  have  any  effect 
upon  you.  But  do  justice  without  respect  of 
persons,  so  that  your  conscience  and  mine  may 
not  reproach  us  at  the  great  day  of  judgment." 

The  convocation  of  clergy,  in  deliberating 
upon  the  answer  which  they  were  to  make  to 
the  Czar,  deemed  it  advisable  to  proceed  with 
great  caution.  They  were  not  quite  willing  to 
recommend  directly  and  openly  that  Alexis 
should  be  put  to  death,  while,  at  the  same  time, 
they  wished  to  give  the  sanction  of  their  ap- 
proval for  any  measures  of  severity  which  the 
Czar  might  be  inclined  to  take.  So  they  for- 
bore to  express  any  positive  opinion  of  their 
own,  but  contented  themselves  with  looking 
out  in  the  Scriptures,  both  in  the  Old  and  New 
Testament,  the  terrible  denunciations  which  are 
therein  contained  against  disobedient  and  re- 
bellious children,  and  the  accounts  of  fearful 
punishments  which  were  inflicted  upon  them 


1718.]         Death  of  Alexis.  333 


Their  answer.  Their  quotations  from  Scripture. 

in  Jewish  history.  They  began  their  statement 
by  formally  acknowledging  that  Peter  himself 
had  absolute  power  to  dispose  of  the  case  of 
his  son  according  to  his  own  sovereign  will  and 
pleasure ;  that  they  had  no  jurisdiction  in  the 
case,  and  could  not  presume  to  pronounce  judg- 
ment, or  say  any  thing  which  could  in  any  way 
restrain  or  limit  the  Czar  in  doing  what  he 
judged  best.  But  nevertheless,  as  the  Czar  had 
graciously  asked  them  for  their  counsel  as  a 
means  of  instructing  his  own  mind  previously 
to  coming  to  a  decision,  they  would  proceed  to 
quote  from  the  Holy  Scriptures  such  passages  as 
might  be  considered  to  bear  upon  the  subject, 
and  to  indicate  the  will  of  God  in  respect  to  the 
action  of  a  sovereign  and  father  in  such  a  case. 
They  then  proceeded  to  quote  the  texts  and 
passages  of  Scripture.  Some  of  these  texts  were 
denunciations  of  rebellious  and  disobedient  chil- 
dren, such  as,  u  The  eye  that  mocketh  his  fa- 
ther and  that  despiseth  to  obey  his  mother,  the 
ravens  of  the  valley  shall  pluck  it  out ;"  and 
the  Jewish  law  providing  that,  "  If  a  man  have 
a  stubborn  and  rebellious  son,  who  will  not 
obey  the  voice  of  his  father  nor  the  voice  of  his 
mother,  and  that,  when  they  have  chastened 
him,  will  not  hearken  unto  them,  then  shall  his 
father  and  mother  lay  hold  of  him,  and  bring 


334  Peter  the  Great.         [1718. 

Cautious  language  used  by  the  bishops. 

him  out  unto  the  elders  of  his  city,  and  unto 
the  gate  of  his  place,  and  shall  say  unto  the 
elders  of  his  city,  This  our  son  is  rebellious : 
he  will  not  obey  our  voice ;  he  is  a  glutton  and 
a  drunkard.  And  all  the  men  of  his  city  shall 
stone  him  with  stones  that  he  die." 

There  were  other  passages  quoted  relating  to 
actual  cases  which  occurred  in  the  Jewish  his- 
tory of  sons  being  punished  with  death  for 
crimes  committed  against  their  parents,  such  as 
that  of  Absalom,  and  others. 

The  bearing  and  tendency  of  all  these  ex- 
tracts from  the  Scriptures  was  to  justify  the  se- 
verest possible  treatment  of  the  unhappy  crim- 
inal. The  bishops  added,  however,  at  the  close 
of  their  communication,  that  they  had  made 
these  extracts  in  obedience  to  the  command  of 
their  sovereign,  not  by  way  of  pronouncing 
sentence,  or  making  a  decree,  or  in  any  other 
way  giving  any  authoritative  decision  on  the 
question  at  issue,  but  only  to  furnish  to  the 
Czar  himself  such  spiritual  guidance  and  in- 
struction in  the  case  as  the  word  of  God  afford- 
ed. It  would  be  very  far  from  their  duty,  they 
said,  to  condemn  any  one  to  death,  for  Jesus 
Christ  had  taught  his  ministers  not  to  be  gov- 
erned by  a  spirit  of  anger,  but  by  a  spirit  of 
meekness.     They  had  no  power  to  condemn 


1718.]         Death  of  Alexis.  335 

They  suggest  clemency  and  mercy. 

any  one  to  death,  or  to  seek  his  blood.  That, 
when  necessary,  was  the  province  of  the  civil 
power.  Theirs  was  to  bring  men  to  repentance 
of  their  sins,  and  to  offer  them  forgiveness  of 
the  same  through  Jesus  Christ  their  Savior. 

They  therefore,  in  submitting  their  commu- 
nication to  his  imperial  majesty,  did  it  only 
that  he  might  do  what  seemed  right  in  his  own 
eyes.  "If  he  concludes  to  punish  his  fallen 
son,"  they  said,  "according  to  his  deeds,  and  in 
a  manner  proportionate  to  the  enormity  of  his 
crimes,  he  has  before  him  the  declarations  and 
examples  which  we  have  herein  drawn  from 
the  Scriptures  of  the  Old  Testament.  If,  on 
the  other  hand,  he  is  inclined  to  mercy,  he  has 
the  example  of  Jesus  Christ,  who  represented 
the  prodigal  son  as  received  and  forgiven  when 
he  returned  and  repented,  who  dismissed  the 
woman  taken  in  adultery,  when  by  the  law  she 
deserved  to  be  stoned,  and  who  said  that  he 
would  have  mercy  and  not  sacrifice." 

The  document  concluded  by  the  words, 

"  The  heart  of  the  Czar  is  in  the  hand  of  God, 
and  may  he  choose  the  part  to  which  the  hand 
of  God  shall  turn  it." 

As  for  the  other  assembly,  the  one  composed 
of  the  nobles  and  senators,  and  other  great  civil 
and   military   functionaries,  before   rendering 


836  Peter  the  Great.         [1718. 

Additional  confessions  made  by  Alexis.  The  priest. 

their  judgment  they  caused  Alexis  to  be 
brought  before  them  again,  in  order  to  call  for 
additional  explanations,  and  to  see  if  he  still 
adhered  to  the  confessions  that  he  had  made. 
At  these  audiences  Alexis  confirmed  what  he 
had  before  said,  and  acknowledged  more  freely 
than  he  had  done  before  the  treasonable  inten- 
tions of  which  he  had  been  guilty.  His  spirit 
seems  by  this  time  to  have  been  completely 
broken,  and  he  appeared  to  have  thought  that 
the  only  hope  for  him  of  escape  from  death  was 
in  the  most  humble  and  abject  confessions  and 
earnest  supplications  for  pardon.  In  these  his 
last  confessions,  too,  he  implicated  some  persons 
who  had  not  before  been  accused.  One  was  a 
certain  priest  named  James.  Alexis  said  that, 
at  one  time  he  was  confessing  to  this  priest, 
and,  among  other  sins  which  he  mentioned,  he 
said  "  that  he  wished  for  the  death  of  his  father." 
The  priest's  reply  to  this  was,  as  Alexis  said, 
"  God  will  pardon  you  for  that,  my  son,  for  we 
all,"  meaning  the  priests,  "  wish  it  too."  The 
priest  was  immediately  arrested,  but,  on  being 
questioned,  he  denied  having  made  any  such 
reply.  The  inquisitors  then  put  him  to  the  tor- 
ture, and  there  forced  from  him  the  admission 
that  he  had  spoken  those  words.  Whether  he 
had  really  spoken  them,  or  only  admitted  it  to 


1718.]         Death  of   Alexis.  337 

Tolstoi  sent  to  Alexis. 

put  an  end  to  the  torture,  it  is  impossible  to 
say. 

They  asked  him  for  the  names  of  the  persons 
whom  he  had  heard  express  a  desire  that  the 
Czar  should  die,  but  he  said  he  could  not  recol- 
lect, He  had  heard  it  from  several  persons, 
but  he  could  not  remember  who  they  were. 
He  said  that  Alexis  was  a  great  favorite  among 
the  people,  and  that  they  sometimes  used  to 
drink  his  health  under  the  designation  of  the 
Hope  of  Kussia. 

The  Czar  himself  also  obtained  a  final  and 
general  acknowledgment  of  guilt  from  his  son, 
which  he  sent  in  to  the  senate  on  the  day  be- 
fore their  judgment  was  to  be  rendered.  He 
obtained  this  confession  by  sending  Tolstoi,  an 
officer  of  the  highest  rank  in  his  court,  and  the 
person  who  had  been  the  chief  medium  of  the 
intercourse  and  of  the  communications  which 
he  had  held  with  his  son  during  the  whole 
course  of  the  affair,  with  the  following  written 
instructions : 

"  To  M.  Tolstoi,  Privy  Counselor  : 

"  Go  to  my  son  this  afternoon,  and  put  down 
in  writing  the  answers  he  shall  give  to  the  fol- 
lowing questions : 


838  Peter  the  Great.        [1718. 

The  Czar's  three  final  questions.  Alexis's  three  answers. 

"  I.  What  is  the  reason  why  he  has  always 
been  so  disobedient  to  me,  and  has  refused  to 
do  what  I  required  of  him,  pr  to  apply  himself 
to  any  useful  business,  notwithstanding  all  the 
guilt  and  shame  which  he  has  incurred  by  so 
strange  and  unusual  a  course  ? 

"II.  Why  is  it  that  he  has  been  so  little 
afraid  of  me,  and  has  not  apprehended  the  con- 
sequences that  must  inevitably  follow  from  his 
disobedience  ? 

"  III.  What  induced  him  to  desire  to  secure 
possession  of  the  crown  otherwise  than  by  obe- 
dience to  me,  and  following  me  in  the  natural 
order  of  succession  ?  And  examine  him  upon 
every  thing  else  that  bears  any  relation  to  this 
affair." 

Tolstoi  went  to  Alexis  in  the  prison,  and  read 
these  questions  to  him.  Alexis  wrote  out  the 
following  statement  in  reply  to  them,  which 
Tolstoi  carried  to  the  Czar : 

"  I.  Although  I  was  well  aware  that  to  be  dis- 
obedient as  I  was  to  my  father,  and  refuse  to 
do  what  please  him,  was  a  very  strange  and 
unusual  course,  and  both  a  sin  and  a  shame, 
yet  I  was  led  into  it,  in  the  first  instance,  in 
consequence  of  having  been  brought  up  from 


1718.]         Death  of  Alexis.  339 

His  account  of  the  manner  in  which  he  had  been  educated. 

my  infancy  with  a  governess  and  her  maids, 
from  whom  I  learned  nothing  but  amusements, 
and  diversions,  and  bigotry,  to  which  I  had 
naturally  an  inclination. 

"The  person  to  whom  I  was  intrusted  after  I 
was  removed  from  my  governess  gave  me  no 
better  instructions. 

"  My  father,  afterward  being  anxious  about 
my  education,  and  desirous  that  I  should  ap- 
ply myself  to  what  became  the  son  of  the  Czar, 
ordered  me  to  learn  the  German  language  and 
other  sciences,  which  I  was  very  averse  to.  I 
applied  myself  to  them  in  a  very  negligent 
manner,  and  only  pretended  to  study  at  all  in 
order  to  gain  time,  and  without  having  any  in- 
clination to  learn  any  thing. 

"And  as  my  father,  who  was  then  frequently 
with  the  army,  was  absent  from  me  a  great 
deal,  he  ordered  his  serene  highness,  the  Prince 
MenzikofT,  to  have  an  eye  upon  me.  While 
he  was  with  me  I  was  obliged  to  apply  myself, 
but,  as  soon  as  I  was  out  of  his  sight,  the  per- 
sons with  whom  I  was  left,  observing  that  I 
was  only  bent  on  bigotry  and  idleness,  on  keep- 
ing company  with  priests  and  monks,  and  drink- 
ing with  them,  they  not  only  encouraged  me  to 
neglect  my  business,  but  took  pleasure  in  doing 
as  I  did.    As  these  persons  had  been  about  me 


310  Peter  the  Great.         [1718. 


His  feelings  toward  his  father. 


from  my  infancy,  I  was  accustomed  to  observe 
their  directions,  to  fear  them,  and  to  comply 
with  their  wishes  in  every  thing,  and  thus,  by 
degrees,  they  alienated  my  affections  from  my 
father  by  diverting  me  with  pleasures  of  this 
nature ;  so  that,  by  little  and  little,  I  came  to 
have  not  only  the  military  affairs  and  other  ac- 
tions of  my  father  in  horror,  but  also  his  per- 
son itself,  which  made  me  always  wish  to  be  at 
a  distance  from  him.  Alexander  Kikin  espe- 
cially, when  he  was  with  me,  took  a  great  deal 
of  pains  to  confirm  me  in  this  way  of  life. 

"My  father,  having  compassion  on  me,  and 
desiring  still  to  make  me  worthy  of  the  state  to 
which  I  was  called,  sent  me  into  foreign  coun- 
tries; but,  as  I  was  already  grown  to  man's 
estate,  I  made  no  alteration  in  my  way  of  living. 

"It  is  true,  indeed,  that  my  travels  were  of 
some  advantage  to  me,  but  they  were  insuffi- 
cient to  erase  the  vicious  habits  which  had 
taken  such  deep  root  in  me. 

"II.  It  was  this  evil  disposition  which  pre- 
vented my  being  apprehensive  of  my  father's 
correction  for  my  disobedience.  I  was  really 
afraid  of  him,  but  it  was  not  with  a  filial  fear. 
I  only  sought  for  means  to  get  away  from  him, 
and  was  in  no  wise  concerned  to  do  his  will, 
but  to  avoid,  by  every  means  in  my  power,  what 


1718.]        Death  of  Alexis.  341 

His  attempt  to  maim  himself. 

lie  required  of  me.  Of  this  I  will  now  freely 
confess  one  plain  instance. 

"When  I  came  back  to  Petersburg  to  my  fa- 
ther from  abroad,  at  the  end  of  one  of  my  jour- 
neys, he  questioned  me  about  my  studies,  and, 
among  other  things,  asked  me  if  I  had  forgot- 
ten what  I  had  learned,  and  I  told  him  no. 
He  then  asked  me  to  bring  him  some  of  my 
drawings  of  plans.  Then,  fearing  that  he  would 
order  me  to  draw  something  in  his  presence, 
which  I  could  not  do,  as  I  knew  nothing  of  the 
matter,  I  set  to  work  to  devise  a  way  to  hurt 
my  hand  so  that  it  should  be  impossible  for  me 
to  do  any  thing  at  all.  So  I  charged  a  pistol 
with  ball,  and,  taking  it  in  my  left  hand,  I  let  it 
off  against  the  palm  of  my  right,  with  a  design 
to  have  shot  through  it.  The  ball,  however, 
missed  my  hand,  though  the  powder  burned  it 
sufficiently  to  wound  it.  The  ball  entered  the 
wall  of  my  room,  and  it  may  be  seen  there  still. 

"My  father,  observing  my  hand  to  be  wound- 
ed, asked  me  how  it  came.  I  told  him  an  eva- 
sive story,  and  kept  the  truth  to  myself.  By 
this  means  you  may  see  that  I  was  afraid  of 
ray  father,  but  not  with  a  proper  filial  fear.* 

*  This  incident  shows  to  what  a  reckless  and  brutal  state 
of  desperation  Alexis  had  been  reduced  by  the  obstinacy  of 
his  opposition  to  his  father,  and  by  the  harshness  of  his  fa- 


342  Peter  the  Great.         [1718. 


His  treasonable  designs. 


"  III.  As  to  my  having  desired  to  obtain  the 
crown  otherwise  than  by  obedience  to  my  fa- 
ther, and  following  him  in  regular  order  of  suc- 
cession, all  the  world  may  easily  understand  the 
reason ;  for,  when  I  was  once  out  of  the  right 
way,  and  resolved  to  imitate  my  father  in  noth- 
ing, I  naturally  sought  to  obtain  the  succession 
by  any,  even  the  most  wrongful  method.  I 
confess  that  I  was  even  willing  to  come  into 
possession  of  it  by  foreign  assistance,  if  it  had 
been  necessary.  If  the  emperor  had  been  ready 
to  fulfill  the  promise  that  he  made  me  of  pro- 
curing for  me  the  crown  of  Eussia,  even  with 
an  armed  force,  I  should  have  spared  nothing 
to  have  obtained  it. 

"  For  instance,  if  the  emperor  had  demanded 
that  I  should  afterward  furnish  him  with  Eus- 
sian  troops  against  any  of  his  enemies,  in  ex- 
change for  his  service  in  aiding  me,  or  large 
sums  of  money,  I  should  have  done  whatever 
he  pleased.  I  would  have  given  great  presents 
to  his  ministers  and  generals  over  and  above. 
In  a  word,  I  would  have  thought  nothing  too 
much  to  have  obtained  my  desire." 

ther's  treatment  of  him.  He  confessed,  on  another  occasion, 
that  he  had  often  taken  medicine  to  produce  an  apparent 
sickness,  in  order  to  have  an  excuse  for  not  attending  to 
duties  which  his  father  required  of  him. 


1718.]         Death  of  Alexis.  343 

Alexis's  confession  sent  to  the  council.  Decision  of  the  council. 

This  confession,  after  it  was  brought  to  the 
Czar  by  Tolstoi,  to  whom  Alexis  gave  it,  was 
sent  by  him  to  the  great  council  of  state,  to  aid 
them  in  forming  their  opinion. 

•  The  council  were  occupied  for  the  space  of  a 
week  in  hearing  the  case,  and  then  they  drew 
up  and  signed  their  decision. 

The  statement  which  they  made  began  by 
acknowledging  that  they  had  not  of  themselves 
any  original  right  to  try  such  a  question,  the 
Czar  himself,  according  to  the  ancient  constitu- 
tion of  the  empire,  having  sole  and  exclusive 
jurisdiction  in  all  such  affairs,  without  being 
beholden  to  his  subjects  in  regard  to  them  in 
any  manner  whatever;  but,  nevertheless,  as 
the  Czar  had  deemed  it  expedient  to  refer  it  to 
them,  they  accepted  the  responsibility,  and,  after 
having  fully  investigated  the  case,  were  now 
ready  to  pronounce  judgment. 

They  then  proceeded  to  declare  that,  after  a 
full  hearing  and  careful  consideration  of  all  the 
evidence,  both  oral  and  written,  which  had  been 
laid  before  them,  including  the  confessions  of 
Alexis  himself,  they  found,  that  he  had  been 
guilty  of  treason  and  rebellion  against  his 
father  and  sovereign,  and  deserved  to  suffer 
death. 

"  And  although,"  said  the  council,  in  contin- 


844  Peter  the  Great.         [1718. 

The  promise  of  pardon.  Forfeiture  of  it. 

nation,  "  although,  both  before  and  since  his  re- 
turn to  Eussia,  the  Czar  his  father  had  promised 
him  pardon  on  certain  conditions,  yet  those  con- 
ditions were  particularly  and  expressly  speci- 
fied, especially  the  one  which  provided  that  he 
should  make  a  full  and  complete  confession  of 
all  his  designs,  and  of  the  names  of  all  the  per- 
sons who  had  been  privy  to  them  or  concerned 
in  the  execution  of  them.  With  these  condi- 
tions, and  particularly  the  last,  Alexis  had  not 
complied,  but  had  returned  insincere  and  eva- 
sive answers  to  the  questions  which  had  been 
put  to  him,  and  had  concealed  not  only  the 
names  of  a  great  many  of  the  principal  persons 
that  were  involved  in  the  conspiracy,  but  also 
the  most  important  designs  and  intentions  of 
the  conspirators,  thus  making  it  appear  that  he 
had  determined  to  reserve  to  himself  an  oppor- 
tunity hereafter,  when  a  favorable  occasion 
should  present  itself,  of  resuming  his  designs 
and  putting  his  wicked  enterprise  into  execu- 
tion against  his  sovereign  and  father.  He  thus 
had  rendered  himself  unworthy  of  the  pardon 
which  his  father  had  promised  him,  and  had 
forfeited  all  claim  to  it." 

The  sentence  of  the  council  concluded  in  the 
following  words : 

"It  is  with  hearts  full  of  affliction  and  eyes 


1718.]         Death  of  Alexis.  345 

Conclusion  of  the  sentence.  The  signatures. 

streaming  down  with  tears  that  we,  as  subjects 
and  servants,  pronounce  this  sentence,  consider- 
ing that,  being  such,  it  does  not  belong  to  us  to 
enter  into  a  judgment  of  so  great  importance, 
and  particularly  to  pronounce  sentence  against 
the  son  of  the  most  mighty  and  merciful  Czar 
our  lord.  However,  since  it  has  been  his  will 
that  we  should  enter  into  judgment,  we  herein 
declare  our  real  opinion,  and  pronounce  this 
condemnation,  with  a  conscience  so  pure  and 
Christian  that  we  think  we  can  answer  for  it  at 
the  terrible,  just,  and  impartial  judgment  of  the 
Great  God. 

"  To  conclude,  we  submit  this  sentence  which 
we  now  give,  and  the  condemnation  which  we 
make,  to  the  sovereign  power  and  will,  and  to 
the  merciful  review  of  his  Czarian  majesty,  our 
most  merciful  monarch." 

This  document  was  signed  in  the  most  sol- 
emn manner  by  all  the  members  of  the  coun- 
cil, nearly  one  hundred  in  number.  Among 
the  signatures  are  the  names  of  a  great  number 
of  ministers  of  state,  counselors,  senators,  gov- 
ernors, generals,  and  other  personages  of  high 
civil  and  military  rank.  The  document,  when 
thus  formally  authenticated,  was  sent,  with  much 
solemn  and  imposing  ceremony,  to  the  Czar.     . 


346  Petek  the   Gteeat.         [1718. 

The  6th  of  July.  The  Czar's  mental  struggles. 

The  Czar,  after  an  interval  of  great  suspense 
and  solicitude,  during  which  he  seems  to  have 
endured  much  mental  suffering,  confirmed  the 
judgment  of  the  council,  and  a  day  was  ap- 
pointed on  which  Alexis  was  to  be  arraigned, 
in  order  that  sentence  of  death,  in  accordance 
with  it,  might  be  solemnly  pronounced  upon 
him. 

The  day  appointed  was  the  6th  of  July,  near- 
ly a  fortnight  after  the  judgment  of  the  court 
was  rendered  to  the  Czar.  The  length  of  this 
delay  indicates  a  severe  struggle  in  the  mind  of 
the  Czar  between  his  pride  and  honor  as  a  sov- 
ereign, feelings  which  prompted  him  to  act  in 
the  most  determined  and  rigorous  manner  in 
punishing  a  rebel  against  his  government,  and 
what  still  remained  of  his  parental  affection  for 
his  son.  He  knew  well  that  after  what  had 
passed  there  could  never  be  any  true  and  gen- 
uine reconciliation,  and  that,  as  long  as  his  son 
lived,  his  name  would  be  the  watchword  of  op- 
position and  rebellion,  and  his  very  existence 
would  act  as  a  potent  and  perpetual  stimulus 
to  the  treasonable  designs  which  the  foes  of 
civilization  and  progress  were  always  disposed 
to  form.  He  finally,  therefore,  determined  that 
the  sentence  of  death  should  at  least  be  pro- 
nounced.    What  his  intention  was  in  respect 


1718.]        Death  of  Alexis.  347 

Alexis  brought  out  to  hear  his  sentence.        Overwhelmed  with  dismay. 

to  the  actual  execution  of  it  can  never  be 
known. 

When  the  appointed  day  arrived  a  grand 
session  of  the  council  was  convened,  and  Alexis 
was  brought  out  from  the  fortress  where  he 
was  imprisoned,  and  arraigned  before  it  for  the 
last  time.  He  was  attended  by  a  strong  guard. 
On  being  placed  at  the  bar  of  the  tribunal,  he 
was  called  upon  to  repeat  the  confessions  which 
he  had  made,  and  then  the  sentence  of  death, 
as  it  had  been  sent  to  the  Czar,  was  read  to 
him.  He  was  then  taken  back  again  to  his 
prison  as  before. 

Alexis  was  overwhelmed  with  terror  and 
distress  at  finding  himself  thus  condemned; 
and  the  next  morning  intelligence  was  brought 
to  the  Czar  that,  after  suffering  convulsions 
at  intervals  through  the  night,  he  had  fallen 
into  an  apoplectic  fit.  About  noon  another 
message  was  brought,  saying  that  he  had  re- 
vived in  some  measure  from  the  fit,  yet  his 
vital  powers  seemed  to  be  sinking  away,  and 
the  physician  thought  that  his  life  was  in  great 
danger. 

The  Czar  sent  for  the  principal  ministers  of 
state  to  come  to  him,  and  he  waited  with  them 
in  great  anxiety  and  agitation  for  farther  tid- 


348  Peter  the  Great.        [1718. 

Visit  of  his  father.  Sorrowful  scene. 

At  length  a  third  messenger  came,  and  said 
that  it  was  thought  that  Alexis  could  not  pos- 
sibly outlive  the  evening,  and  that  he  longed  to 
see  his  father.  The  Czar  immediately  request- 
ed the  ministers  to  accompany  him,  and  set  out 
from  his  palace  to  go  to  the  fortress  where 
Alexis  was  confined.  On  entering  the  room 
where  his  dying  son  was  lying,  he  was  greatly 
moved,  and  Alexis  himself,  bursting  into  tears, 
folded  his  hands  and  began  to  entreat  his  fa- 
ther's forgiveness  for  his  sins  against  him.  He 
said  that  he  had  grievously  and  heinously  of- 
fended the  majesty  of  God  Almighty  and  of 
the  Czar ;  that  he  hoped  he  should  not  recover 
from  his  illness,  for  if  he  should  recover  he 
should  feel  that  he  was  unworthy  to  live.  But 
he  begged  and  implored  his  father,  for  God's 
sake,  to  take  off  the  curse  that  he  had  pro- 
nounced against  him,  to  forgive  him  for  all  the 
heinous  crimes  which  he  had  committed,  to  be- 
stow upon  him  his  paternal  blessing,  and  to 
cause  prayers  to  be  put  up  for  his  soul. 

While  Alexis  was  speaking  thus,  the  Czar 
himself,  and  all  the  ministers  and  officers  who 
had  come  with  him,  were  melted  in  tears.  The 
Czar  replied  kindly  to  him.  He  referred,  it  is 
true,  to  the  sins  and  crimes  of  which  Alexis 
had  been  guilty,  but  he  gave  him  his  forgive- 


THE   CZAS'S   VISIT   T3   ALEXIS   IN   PSI30X. 


1718.]         Death  of  Alexis.  351 

Alexis  sends  a  second  time  for  his  father.     His  death.     Czar's  circular. 

ness  and  his  blessing,  and  then  took  his  leave 
with  tears  and  lamentations  which  rendered  it 
impossible  for  him  to  speak,  and  in  which  all 
present  joined.     The  scene  was  heart-rending. 

At  five  o'clock  in  the  evening  a  major  of  the 
Guards  came  across  the  water  from  the  fortress 
to  the  Czar's  palace  with  a  message  that  Alexis 
was  extremely  desirous  to  see  his  father  once 
more.  The  Czar  was  at  first  unwilling  to  com- 
ply with  this  request.  He  could  not  bear,  he 
thought,  to  renew  the  pain  of  such  an  interview. 
But  his  ministers  advised  him  to  go.  They 
represented  to  him  that  it  was  hard  to  deny 
such  a  request  from  his  dying  son,  who  was 
probably  tormented  by  the  stings  of  a  guilty 
conscience,  and  felt  relieved  and  comforted 
when  his  father  was  near.  So  Peter  consented 
to  go.  But  just  as  he  was  going  on  board  the 
boat  which  was  to  take  him  over  to  the  for- 
tress, another  messenger  came  saying  that  it 
was  too  late.     Alexis  had  expired. 

On  the  next  day  after  the  death  of  his  son, 
the  Czar,  in  order  to  anticipate  and  preclude 
the  false  rumors  in  respect  to  the  case  which 
he  knew  that  his  enemies  would  endeavor  to 
spread  throughout  the  Continent,  caused  a  brief 
but  full  statement  of  his  trial  and  condemna- 
tion, and  of  the  circumstances  of  his  death,  to 


352  Peter  the   Great.         [1718. 

The  body  laid  in  state.  Rumors  circulated. 

be  drawn  up  and  sent  to  all  his  ministers  abroad, 
in  order  that  they  might  communicate  the  facts 
in  an  authentic  form  to  the  courts  to  which  they 
were  respectfully  accredited.* 

The  ninth  day  of  July,  the  third  day  after 
the  death  of  Alexis,  was  appointed  for  the  fu- 
neral. The  body  was  laid  in  a  coffin  covered 
with  black  velvet.  A  pall  of  rich  gold  tissue 
was  spread  over  the  coffin,  and  in  this  way  the 
body  was  conveyed  to  the  church  of  the  Holy 
Trinity,  where  it  was  laid  in  state.  It  remain- 
ed in  this  condition  during  the  remainder  of 
that  day  and  all  of  the  next,  and  also  on  the 
third  day  until  evening.  It  was  visited  by  vast 
crowds  of  people,  who  were  permitted  to  come 
up  and  kiss  the  hands  of  the  deceased. 

On  the  evening  of  the  third  day  after  the 
body  was  conveyed  to  the  church,  the  funeral 
service  was  performed,  and  the  body  was  con- 
veyed to  the  tomb.     A  large  procession,  head- 

*  There  were,  in  fact,  a  great  many  rumors  put  in  circu- 
lation, and  they  spread  very  far,  and  were  continued  in  cir- 
culation a  long  time.  One  story  was  that  Alexis  was  poi- 
soned. Another,  that  his  father  killed  him  with  his  own 
hands  in  the  prison.  It  was  said  in  London  that  he  beat 
him  to  death  with  an  iron  chain.  The  extent  to  which  these 
and  similar  stories  received  currency  indicates  pretty  clearly 
what  ideas  prevailed  in  men's  minds  at  that  time  in  respect 
to  the  savagn  ferocity  of  Peter's  character. 


1718.]       .Death  of  Alexis.  353 

Funeral  ceremonies.     The  opposition  broken  up.     The  mother  of  Alexis. 

ed  by  the  Czar,  the  Czarina,  and  all  the  chief 
nobility  of  the  court,  followed  in  the  funeral 
train.  The  Czar  and  all  the  other  mourners 
carried  in  their  hands  a  small  wax  taper  burn- 
ing. The  ladies  were  all  dressed  in  black  silks. 
It  was  said  by  those  who  were  near  enough  in 
the  procession  to  observe  the  Czar  that  he  went 
weeping  all  the  way. 

At  the  service  in  the  church  a  funeral  ser- 
mon was  pronounced  by  the  priest  from  the 
very  appropriate  text,  "  0  Absalom !  my  son! 
my  son  Absalom  I" 

Thus  ended  this  dreadful  tragedy.  The  par- 
ty who  had  been  opposed  to  the  reforms  and 
improvements  of  the  Czar  seems  to  have  be- 
come completely  disorganized  after  the  death 
of  Alexis,  and  they  never  again  attempted  to 
organize  any^resistance  to  Peter's  plans.  In- 
deed, most  of  the  principal  leaders  had  been 
executed  or  banished  to  Siberia.  As  to  Otto- 
kesa,  the  first  wife  of  the  Czar,  and  the  mother 
of  Alexis,  who  was  proved  to  have  been  privy 
to  his  designs,  she  was  sent  away  to  a  strong- 
castle,  and  shut  up  for  the  rest  of  her  days  in  a 
dungeon.  So  close  was  her  confinement  that 
even  her  food  was  put  in  to  her  through  a  hole 
in  the  wall. 

It  remains  only  to  say  one  word  in  conclu- 


354:  Peter  the  Great..        [1718. 

Afrosinia.  The  Czar  pardons  her. 

sion  in  respect  to  Afrosinia.  When  Alexis  was 
first  arrested,  it  was  supposed  that  she,  having 
been  the  slave  and  companion  of  Alexis,  was  a 
party  with  him  in  his  treasonable  designs ;  but 
in  the  course  of  the  examinations  it  appeared 
very  fully  that  whatever  of  connection  with  the 
affair,  or  participation  in  it,  she  may  have  had, 
was  involuntary  and  innocent,  and  the  testi- 
mony which  she  gave  was  of  great  service  in 
unraveling  the  mystery  of  the  whole  transac- 
tion. In  the  end,  the  Czar  expressed  his  satis- 
faction with  her  conduct  in  strong  terms.  He 
gave  her  a  full  pardon  for  the  involuntary  aid 
which  she  had  rendered  Alexis  in  carrying 
out  his  plans.  He  ordered  every  thing  which 
had  been  taken  away  from  her  to  be  restored, 
made  her  presents  of  handsome  jewelry,  and 
said  that  if  she  would  like  to  be  married  he 
would  give  her  a  handsome  portion  out  of  the 
royal  treasury.  But  she  promptly  declined 
this  proposal.  "I  have  been  compelled,"  she 
said,  "to  yield  to  one  man's  will  by  force; 
henceforth  no  other  shall  ever  come  near  my 
side." 


1719.]  Conclusion.  355 

Death  of  little  Peter.  Excessive  grief  of  the  Czar. 


Chapter  XIX. 
Conclusion. 

AT  the  time  of  the  death  of  Alexis  the  Czar's 
hopes  in  respect  to  a  successor  fell  upon 
his  little  son,  Peter  Petrowitz,  the  child  of  Cath- 
arine, who  was  born  about  the  time  of  the  death 
of  Alexis's  wife,  when  the  difficulties  between 
himself  and  Alexis  were  first  beginning  to  as- 
sume an  alarming  form.  This  child  was  now 
about  three  years  old,  but  he  was  of  a  very 
weak  and  sickly  constitution,  and  the  Czar 
watched  him  with  fear  and  trembling.  His 
apprehensions  proved  to  be  well  founded,  for 
about  a  year  after  the  unhappy  death  of  Alexis 
he  also  died. 

Peter  was  entirely  overwhelmed  with  grief 
at  this  new  calamity.  He  was  seized  with  the 
convulsions  to  which  he  was  subject  when 
under  any  strong  excitement,  his  face  was  dis- 
torted, and  his  neck  was  twisted  and  stiffened 
in  a  most  frightful  manner.  In  ordinary  at- 
tacks of  this  kind  Catharine  had  power  to 
soothe  and  allay  the  spasmodic  action  of  the 


356  Peter  the  Great.'       [1719. 

The  Czar  shuts  himself  up.  Device  of  his  minister. 

muscles,  and  gradually  release  her  husband 
from  the  terrible  gripe  of  the  disease,  but 
now  he  would  not  suffer  her  to  come  near 
him.  He  could  not  endure  it,  for  the  sight 
of  her  renewed  so  vividly  the  anguish  that 
he  felt  for  the  loss  of  their  child,  that  it  made 
the  convulsions  and  the  suffering  worse  than 
before. 

It  is  said  that  on  this  occasion  Peter  shut 
himself  up  alone  for  three  days  and  three  nights 
in  his  own  chamber,  where  he  lay  stretched  on 
the  ground  in  anguish  and  agony,  and  would 
not  allow  any  body  to  come  in.  At  length  one 
of  his  ministers  of  state  came,  and,  speaking  to 
him  through  the  door,  appealed  to  him,  in  the 
most  earnest  manner,  to  come  forth  and  give 
them  directions  in  respect  to  the  affairs  of  the 
empire,  which,  he  said,  urgently  required  his 
attention.  The  minister  had  brought  with  him 
a  large  number  of  senators  to  support  and  en- 
force his  appeal.  At  length  the  Czar  allowed 
the  door  to  be  opened,  and  the  minister,  with 
all  the  senators,  came  together  into  the  room. 
The  sudden  appearance  of  so  many  persons, 
and  the  boldness  of  the  minister  in  taking  this 
decided  step,  made  such  an  impression  on  the 
mind  of  the  Czar  as  to  divert  his  mind  for  the 
moment  from  his  grief,  and  he  allowed  himself 


1719.]  Conclusion.  357 

Subsequent  reign.  His  plan  for  the  succession. 

to  be  led  forth  and  to  be  persuaded  to  take 
some  food. 

The  death  of  Petrowitz  took  place  in  1719, 
and  the  Czar  continued  to  live  and  reign  him- 
self after  this  period  for  about  sixteen  years. 
During  all  that  time  he  went  on  vigorously  and 
successfully  in  completing  the  reforms  which 
he  had  undertaken  in  the  internal  condition  of 
his  empire,  and  increasing  the  power  and  influ- 
ence of  his  government  among  surrounding 
nations.  He  had  no  farther  serious  difficulty 
with  the  opponents  of  his  policy,  though  he 
was  always  under  apprehensions  that  difficulties 
might  arise  after  his  death.  He  had  the  right, 
according  to  the  ancient  constitution  of  the 
monarchy,  to  designate  his  own  successor, 
choosing  for  this  purpose  either  one  of  his 
sons  or  any  other  person.  And  now,  since 
both  his  sons  were  dead,  his  mind  revolved 
anxiously  the  question  what  provision  he 
should  make  for  the  government  of  the  empire 
after  his  decease.  He  finally  concluded  to  leave 
it  in  the  hands  of  Catharine  herself,  and,  to  pre- 
pare the  way  for  this,  he  resolved  to  cause  her 
to  be  solemnly  crowned  empress  during  his  life- 
time. 

As  a  preliminary  measure,  however,  before 
publicly  announcing  Catharine  as  his  intended 


358  Peter  the  Great.        [1719. 

Oath  required  of  the  people.  Prince  Naraskin.  Proclamation. 

successor,  Peter  required  all  the  officers  of  the 
empire,  both  civil  and  military,  and  all  the  no- 
bles and  other  chief  people  of  the  country,  to 
subscribe  a  solemn  declaration  and  oath  that 
they  acknowledged  the  right  of  the  Czar  to  ap- 
point his  successor,  and  that  after  his  death 
they  would  sustain  and  defend  whomsoever  he 
should  name  as  their  emperor  and  sovereign. 

This  declaration,  printed  forms  of  which  were 
sent  all  over  the  kingdom,  was  signed  by  the  peo- 
ple very  readily.  No  one,  however,  imagined 
that  Catharine  would  be  the  person  on  whom 
the  Czar's  choice  would  fall.  It  was  generally 
supposed  that  a  certain  Prince  ISTaraskin  would 
be  appointed  to  the  succession.  The  Czar  him- 
self said  nothing  of  his  intention,  but  waited 
until  the  time  should  arrive  for  carrying  it  into 
effect. 

The  first  step  to  be  taken  in  carrying  the 
measure  into  effect  was  to  issue  a  grand  procla- 
mation announcing  his  design  and  explaining 
the  reasons  for  it.  In  this  proclamation  Peter 
cited  many  instances  from  history  in  which 
great  sovereigns  had  raised  their  consorts  to  a 
seat  on  the  throne  beside  them,  and  then  he  re- 
capitulated the  great  services  which  Catharine 
had  rendered  to  him  and  to  the  state,  which 
m'ade  her  peculiarly  deserving  of  such  an  honor. 


1719.]  Conclusion.  359 

Catharine's  usefulness.  Splendor  of  the  preparations. 

She  had  been  a  tried  and  devoted  friend  and 
counselor  to  him,  he  said,  for  many  years.  She 
had  shared  his  labors  and  fatigues,  had  accom- 
panied him  on  his  journeys,  and  had  even  re- 
peatedly encountered  all  the  discomforts  and 
dangers  of  the  camp  in  following  him  in  his 
military  campaigns.  By  so  doing  she  had  ren- , 
dered  him  the  most  essential  service,  and  on 
one  occasion  she  had  been  the  means  of  saving 
his  whole  army  from  destruction.  He  there- 
fore declared  his  intention  of  joining  her  with 
himself  in  the  supreme  power,  and  to  celebrate 
this  event  by  a  solemn  coronation. 

The  place  where  the  coronation  was  to  be 
performed  was,  of  course,  the  ancient  city  of 
Moscow,  and  commands  were  issued  to  all  the 
great  dignitaries  of  Church  and  state,  and  invi- 
tations to  all  the  foreign  embassadors,  to  repair 
to  that  city,  and  be  ready  on  the  appointed  day 
to  take  part  in  the  ceremony. 

It  would  be  impossible  to  describe  or  to  con- 
ceive, without  witnessing  it,  the  gorgeousness 
and  splendor  of  the  spectacle  which  the  corona- 
tion afforded.  The  scene  of  the  principal  cere- 
mony was  the  Cathedral,  which  was  most  mag- 
nificently decorated  for  the  occasion.  The 
whole  interior  of  the  building  was  illumined 
with  an  immense  number  of  wax  candles,  con- 


360  Peter  the  Great.        [1719. 

The  interior  of  the  church.  The  dais.  The  canopy. 

tained  in  chandeliers  and  branches  of  silver 
and  gold,  which  were  suspended  from  the  arch- 
es or  attached  to  the  walls.  The  steps  of  the 
altar,  and  all  that  part  of  the  pavement  of  the 
church  over  which  the  Czarina  would  have  to 
walk  in  the  performance  of  the  ceremonies, 
were  covered  with  rich  tapestry  embroidered 
with  gold,  and  the  seats  on  which  the  bishops 
and  other  ecclesiastical  dignitaries  were  to  sit 
were  covered  with  crimson  cloth. 

The  ceremony  of  the  coronation  itself  was  to 
be  performed  on  a  dais,  or  raised  platform, 
which  was  set  up  in  the  middle  of  the  church. 
This  platform,  with  the  steps  leading  to  it,  was 
carpeted  with  crimson  velvet,  and  it  was  sur- 
mounted by  a  splendid  canopy  made  of  silk, 
embroidered  with  gold.  The  canopy  was  orna- 
mented, too,  on  every  side  with  fringes,  ribbons, 
tufts,  tassels,  and  gold  lace,  in  the  richest  man- 
ner. Under  the  canopy  was  the  double  throne 
for  the  emperor  and  empress,  and  near  it  seats 
for  the  royal  princesses,  all  covered  with  crim- 
son velvet  trimmed  with  gold. 

When  the  appointed  hour  arrived  the  pro- 
cession was  formed  at  the  royal  palace,  and 
moved  toward  the  Cathedral  through  a  dense 
and  compact  mass  of  spectators  that  every 
where  thronged  the  way.     Every  window  was 


1719.]  Conclusion.  361 

The  regalia.  -  The  ceremonies. 

filled,  and  the  house-tops,  wherever  there  was 
space  for  a  footing,  were  crowded.  There  were 
troops  of  guards  mounted  on  horseback  and 
splendidly  caparisoned — there  were  bands  of 
music,  and  heralds,  and  great  officers  of  state, 
bearing  successively,  on  cushions  ornamented 
with  gold  and  jewels,  the  imperial  mantle,  the 
globe,  the  sceptre,  and  the  crown.  In  this  way 
the  royal  party  proceeded  to  the  Cathedral,  and 
there,  after  going  through  a  great  many  cere- 
monies, which,  from  the  magnificence  of  the 
dresses,  of  the  banners,  and  the  various  regal 
emblems  that  were  displayed,  was  very  gor- 
geous to  behold,  but  which  it  would  be  tedious 
to  describe,  the  crown  was  placed  upon  Cath- 
arine's head,  the  moment  being  signalized  to 
all  Moscow  by  the  ringing  of  bells,  the  music 
of  trumpets  and  drums,  and  the  firing  of  can- 
non. 

The  ceremonies  were  continued  through  two 
days  by  several  other  imposing  processions, 
and  were  closed  on  the  night  of  the  second  day 
by  a  grand  banquet  held  in  a  spacious  hall 
which  was  magnificently  decorated  for  the  oc- 
casion. And  while  the  regal  party  within  the 
hall  were  being  served  with  the  richest  viands 
from  golden  vessels,  the  populace  without  were 
feasted  by  means  of  oxen  roasted  whole  in  the 


362  Peter  the   Great.         [1725. 

Sickness  and  death  of  Peter.  Natalia.  The  double  funeral. 

streets,  and  public  fountains  made  to  run  with 
exliaustless  supplies  of  wine. 

The  coronation  of  Catharine  as  empress  was 
not  a  mere  empty  ceremony.  There  were  con- 
nected with  it  formal  legal  arrangements  for 
transferring  the  supreme  power  into  her  hands 
on  the  death  of  the  Czar.  Nor  were  these  ar- 
rangements made  any  too  soon ;  for  it  was  in 
less  than  a  year  after  that  time  that  the  Czar, 
in  the  midst  of  great  ceremonies  of  rejoicing, 
ponnected  with  the  betrothal  of  one  of  his 
daughters,  the  Princess  Anna  Petrowna,  to  a 
foreign  duke,  was  attacked  suddenly  by  a  very 
painful  disease,  and,  after  suffering  great  dis- 
tress and  anguish  for  many  days,  he  at  length 
.expired.  His  death  took  place  on  the  28th  of 
January,  1725. 

One  of  his  daughters,  the  Princess  Natalia 
Petrowna,  the  third  of  Catharine's  children,  died 
a  short  time  after  her  father,  and  the  bodies  of 
both  parent  and  child  were  interred  together  at 
the  same  funeral  ceremony,  which  was  conduct- 
ed with  the  utmost  possible  pomp  and  parade. 
The  obsequies  were  so  protracted  that  it  was 
more  than  six  weeks  from  the  death  of  the 
Czar  before  the  bodies  were  finally  committed 
to  the  tomb ;  and  a  volume  might  be  filled  with 
an  account  of  the  processions,  the  ceremonies, 


1725.]  Conclusion.  363 

General  character  of  Peter.  Compared  with  other  sovereigns. 

the  prayers,  the  chantings,  the  costumes,  the 
plumes  and  trappings  of  horses,  the  sledges 
decked  in  mourning,  the  requiems  sung,  the 
salvos  of  artillery  fired,  and  all  the  various  oth- 
er displays  and  doings  connected  with  the  oc- 
casion. 

Thus  was  brought  to  an  end  the  earthly  per- 
sonal career  of  Peter  the  Great.  He  well  de- 
serves his  title,  for  he  was  certainly  one  of  the 
greatest  as-  well  as  one  of  the  most  extraordi- 
nary men  that  ever  lived.  Himself  half  a  sav- 
age, he  undertook  to  civilize  twenty  millions 
of  people,  and  he  pursued  the  work  during  his 
whole  lifetime  through  dangers,  difficulties,  and 
discouragements  which  it  required  a  surpris- 
ing degree  of  determination  and  energy  to  sur- 
mount. He  differs  from  other  great  military 
monarchs  that  have  appeared  from  time  to  time 
in-  the  world's  history,  and  by  their  exploits 
have  secured  for  themselves  the  title  of  The 
Great,  in  this,  that,  while  they  acquired  their 
renown  by  conquests  gained  over  foreign  na- 
tions, which,  in  most  cases,  after  the  death  of 
their  conquerors,  lapsed  again  into  their  orig- 
inal condition,  leaving  no  permanent  results  be- 
hind, the  triumphs  which  Peter  achieved  were 
the  commencement  of  a  work  of  internal  im- 


36-i            Peter  the  » 

GrREAT. 

[1725. 

Playful  vein  in  his  character. 

Examples. 

provement  and  reform  which  is  now,  after  the 
lapse  of  a  century  and  a  half  since  he  com- 
menced it,  still  going  on.  The  work  is,  in  fact, 
advancing  at  the  present  day  with  perhaps 
greater  and  more  successful  progress  than  ever 
before. 

Notwithstanding  the  stern  severity  of  Peter's 
character,  the  terrible  violence  of  his  passions, 
and  the  sort  of  savage  grandeur  which  marked 
all  his  great  determinations  and  plans,  there  was 
a  certain  vein  of  playfulness  running  through 
his  mind;  and,  when  he  was  in  a  jocose  or 
merry  humor,  no  one  could  be  more  jocose  and 
merry  than  he.  The  interest  which  he  took  in 
the  use  of  tools,  and  in  working  with  his  own 
hands  at  various  handicrafts — his  notion  of  en- 
tering the  army  as  a  drummer,  the  navy  as  a 
midshipman,  and  rising  gravely,  by  regular  pro- 
motion in  both  services,  through  all  the  grades 
— the  way  in  which  he  often  amused  himself, 
when  on  his  travels,  in  going  about  in  'disguise 
among  all  sorts  of  people,  and  a  thousand  other 
circumstances  which  are  related  of  him  by  his- 
torians, are  indications  of  what  might  be  called 
a  sort  of  boyish  spirit,  which  strongly  marked 
his  character,  and  was  seen  continually  coming 
out  into  action  during  the  whole  course  of  his 
life. 


1725.]  Conclusion.  365 

The  Little  Grandfather.       Taken  to  Cronstadt.       Triumphal  procession. 

It  was  only  two  years  before  his  death  that 
a  striking  instance  of  this  occurred.  The  first 
vessel  that  was  built  in  Eussia  was  a  small  skiff, 
which  was  planned  and  built  almost  entirely 
by  Peter's  own  hands.  This  skiff  was  built  at 
Moscow,  where  it  remained  for  twenty  or  thirty 
years,  an  object  all  this  time,  in  Peter's  mind, 
of  special  affection  and  regard.  At  length, 
when  the  naval  power  of  the  empire  was  firm- 
ly established,  Peter  conceived  the  idea  of  re- 
moving this  skiff  from  Moscow  to  Petersburg, 
and  consecrating  it  solemnly  there  as  a  sort  of 
souvenir  to  be  preserved  forever  in  commemo- 
ration of  the  small  beginnings  from  which  all 
the  naval  greatness  of  the  empire  had  sprung. 
The  name  which  he  had  given  to  the  skiff  was 
The  Little  Grandfather,  the  name  denoting  that 
the  little  craft,  frail  and  insignificant  as  it  was, 
was  the  parent  and  progenitor  of  all  the  great 
frigates  and  ships  of  the  line  which  were  then 
at  anchor  in  the  Roads  about  Cronstadt  and  off 
the  mouth  of  the  Neva. 

A  grand  ceremony  was  accordingly  arranged 
for  the  "  consecration  of  the  Little  Grandfather." 
The  little  vessel  was  brought  in  triumph  from 
Moscow  to  Petersburg,  where  it  was  put  on 
board  a  sort  of  barge  or  galliot  to  be  taken  to 
Cronstadt.     All  the  great  officers  of  state  and 


366  Peter  the   Great.         [1725. 


Display  before  the  rieet. 


all  the  foreign  ministers  were  invited  to  be  pres- 
ent at  the  consecration.  The  company  em- 
barked on  board  yachts  provided  for  them,  and 
went  down  the  river  following  the  Little  Grand- 
father, which  was  borne  on  its  galliot  in  the 
van — drums  beating,  trumpets  sounding,  and 
banners  waving  all  the  way. 

The  next  day  the  whole  fleet,  which  had  been 
collected  in  the  bay  for  this  purpose,  was  ar- 
ranged in  the  form  of  an  amphitheatre.  The 
Little  Grandfather  was  let  down  from  his  gal- 
liot into  the  water.  The  emperor  went  on 
board  of  it.  He  was  accompanied  "By  the  ad- 
mirals and  vice  admirals  of  the  fleet,  who  were 
to  serve  as  crew.  The  admiral  stationed  him- 
self at  the  helm  to  steer,  and  the  vice  admirals 
took  the  oars.  These  grand  officials  were  not 
required,  however,  to  do  much  hard  work  at 
rowing,  for  there  were  two  shallops  provided, 
manned  by  strong  men,  to  tow  the  skiff.  In 
this  way  the  skiff  rowed  to  and  fro  over  the 
sea,  and  then  passed  along  the  fleet,  saluted 
every  where  by  the  shouts  of  the  crews  upon 
the  yards  and  in  the  rigging,  and  by  the  guns 
of  the  ships.  Three  thousand  guns  were  dis- 
charged by  the  ships  in  these  salvos  in  honor 
of  their  humble  progenitor.  The  Little  Grand- 
father returned  the  salutes  of  the  guns  with 


1725.]  Conclusion.  367 

Closing  festivities.  Catharine  proclaimed  empress. 

great  spirit  by  means  of  three  small  swivels 
■which,  had  been  placed  on  board. 

The  Empress  Catharine  saw  the  show  from 
an  elevation  on  the  shore,  where  she  sat  with 
the  ladies  of  her  court  in  a  pavilion  or  tent 
which  had  been  erected  for  the  purpose. 

At  the  close  of  the  ceremonies  the  skiff  was 
deposited  with  great  ceremony  in  the  place 
which  had  been  prepared  to  receive  it  in  the 
Castle  of  Cronstadt,  and  there,  when  one  more 
day  had  been  spent  in  banquetings  and  rejoic- 
ings, the  company  left  the  Little  Grandfather 
to  his  repose,  and  returned  in  their  yachts  to 
the  town. 

Not  many  days  after  the  death  of  Peter, 
Catharine,  in  accordance  with  the  arrangements 
that  Peter  had  previously  made,  was  proclaim- 
ed empress  by  a  solemn  act  of  the  senate  and 
ministers  of  state,  and  she  at  once  entered  upon 
the  exercise  of  the  sovereign  power.  She  sig- 
nalized her  accession  by  a  great  many  acts  of 
clemency — liberating  prisoners,  recalling  exiles, 
removing  bodies  from  gibbets  and  wheels,  and 
heads  from  poles,  and  delivering  them  to  friends 
for  burial,  remitting  the  sentence  of  death  pro- 
nounced upon  political  offenders,  and  otherwise 
mitigating  and  assuaging  sufferings  which  Pe- 


Peter  the   Great.         [1725. 

Catharine's  brief  reign.  *  Her  beneficent  character. 

ter's  remorseless  ideas  of  justice  and  retribution 
had  caused.  Catharine  did  not,  however,  live 
long  to  exercise  her  beneficial  power.  She 
died  suddenly  about  two  years  after  her  hus- 
band, and  was  buried  with  great  pomp  in  a 
grand  monumental  tomb  in  one  of  the  churches 
of  St.  Petersburg,  which  she  had  been  engaged 
ever  since  his  death  m  constructing  for  him. 


The  E^Do 


